Chuck vs Life
by marybr
Summary: The fic fits right after the last episode aired 1x11, and it basically picks up after those events. It’s nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr (yours truly)

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 1/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Well, I fell in love with this couple. What else can I say? I swore I'd never write another fic again (this is my second ever), but these lines and storylines kept popping in my head. And the fact that this fic exists shows how much I'm really into these two crazy kids. Anyhow, I had no other choice them to bring this to life. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it :)

**Chapter I**

Chuck was lying in bed. He couldn't help but just stay there, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't able to go to sleep. The whole time he kept replaying the conversation he had with Sarah at the Buy More Xmas party. _Friends?__Yeah, friends._

He liked her. It was beyond the point of denying this to himself. But she clearly didn't share his feelings. Of course she liked him. However, she didn't _like _him, not the way he _liked_ her. And nurturing thoughts otherwise would only hurt him even more. It was time to face the truth. She said to him that she's only here -- and not with Bryce -- because of her job. She told him earlier that she didn't see any future for them while under the influence of truth serum, for Pete's sakes! What else did he need? A formal letter, handwritten by her, informing him of the obvious shutdown?

No. It would be no longer necessary to tell him yet another time. Somehow he managed to see signs of mutual feelings that clearly weren't there. Sometimes she'd say certain things that led him to believe that she was starting to feel the same way he felt. _If it's any consolation, I never felt like our time together was work._ It seemed like she always knew the right words to say to keep him hoping, to keep him believing.

He was sure that this wasn't her intention. This probably meant nothing more than a friendly courtesy on her part. You know, trying to make him feel better. Being a good "friend". So, he made peace with the fact that Sarah and Chuck would ever be that… friends. Nothing more than that. And he was cool with this. If he wasn't right now, he would be… eventually.

The thing is, he didn't hold a grudge towards her. He wouldn't start to hate something, someone he couldn't have. It's best being friends than having all that tension in the air, like it got when they were in that Lon Kurk assignment. Besides, being _friends_ nowadays is a lot. And he really meant when he offered his friendship to her that night.

All these thoughts were swirling through Chuck's head, and at that late hour he wondered.

"Why don't minds have an on/off switch?"

It took a while longer but he finally managed to doze off.

Chuck woke up with the annoying bip of his alarm clock, now, he wasn't about to throw a knife at the damn thing like his lady friend… See, even his first thought in the morning had to do with a certain blonde goddess! It wouldn't be an easy task to get over her, he thought.

After going through his morning routine, you know, get up, pee, have breakfast, brush teeth, interact with Ellie and Awesome, etc. Chuck was finally ready to go to work. As he was leaving home, he saw Casey through the blinders of his apartment motioning him to come over. He made his way there slowly but steadily.

Casey opened the door and let Chuck in.

"Nice of you to join us, Sleeping Beauty," Casey teased.

Chuck saw that Sarah was already there sitting on the couch eying the computer screen. They were talking to their superiors. When he entered Sarah turned over, he gave her a half-smile, not your usual full-blown Chuck megawatt smile. And it looked like she noticed that, but again, he misread her too many times before to trust his impressions.

She half-smiled back. Smile number 5, he thought. Not that he was mentally registering her every smile, by the way. Okay, maybe he was… a little bit. And if he actually was, this pale number 5 smile was nothing compared to smile number 1. The mother of all smiles, the one she displayed and the whole room turned… wow… bright! The one only she mastered… Okay, stop with the smile analysis already! He mentally chastised himself.

He shook the thoughts and sat beside her on the couch, on the other far end of it. It was clear that she noticed that move, 'cause her eyes drifted to her left, towards him oh-so-nonchalantly and for a brief second. Casey stood behind the couch, and the three of them heard all about the next mission. Chuck was supposed to tag along Sarah and Casey to a politician's public speech to see if he flashed on anyone of said politician's entourage, 'cause he was suspect of military sabotage.

Everything went smoothly at debrief, and as they were leaving Casey's the atmosphere wasn't tense like the last time, but it sure felt awkward for Chuck, and Sarah as well. Casey, on the other hand, was cool as a cucumber.

"Hi," Sarah said with a friendly smile.

"Hey," said Chuck, smiling a bit more wider this time around.

"I think we need to talk to establish…" she was cut by Ellie, who was leaving home to the hospital.

"Sarah. It's nice to see you! I'm so glad that you and my brother here…"

"Ellie, Ellie…" Chuck tried to interject.

But Ellie was in a row, she was really excited.

"…decided to make it work. I knew that you had something real going on here. We're having this Xmas' eve bash next week, and I want you to join us. It'll have…"

"Ellie, sis, actually Sarah and I… We're _not_ back together," he concluded a bit louder than he intended to, but Ellie was so hyper that he had to.

Sarah was caught by surprise with that statement. She thought that they were getting back together, you know, for the sake of their cover.

If Chuck didn't know any better he'd think that he saw a glimpse of disappointment in his _friend's_ eyes, but, come on, he _knows_ better. No more nurturing, Bartowski! Came the voice in his head. Why the voice sounded so much like Casey he didn't get, 'though. Moving on…

"We decided to be friends. It works better, you know, for the two of us," he added.

Ellie he knew how to read. And that was definitely a look of disappointment. Not disappointment, really, more like sadness. Chuck knew if anyone wanted him to be happy it was Ellie.

"Oh… I didn't know. I figured since she's here, with you, I mean… I'm so sorry. I just assumed…" the brunette tried.

"It's okay. It's okay…" he said looking at Sarah for some help here.

Sarah noticed the look he was giving her, and despite her own feelings on the matter, she felt obliged to help him out.

"It's really okay, Ellie. There's no need to feel bad. We're both _fine_…" she stressed the word looking briefly at Chuck.

He didn't get the meaning of the look. Ellie, on the other hand, was oblivious to it.

"More than fine, actually, with the decision. It was an agreement on both sides," she completed giving Ellie a smile as confirmation.

"Well, if you guys say so," she said while looking at Chuck trying to read him.

"I better get going, I'm already late as it is. And don't worry, Chuck. When you find that cd of mine that I'm looking for, you can bring to me at Wienerlicious. It's no big deal," she said trying to create a reason for her presence at Chuck's.

But that little detail went way through Chuck's head.

"What…" he tried.

Sarah gave him a look of her own, and he finally got what she was doing there.

"Right, right… your cd. Like I said, Morgan must have taken it thinking it was mine. But I'll make sure to track it down for you," he managed to deliver.

Sarah gave Ellie another smile followed by a short wave. Ellie, still a bit confused, mimicked the blonde's previous gestures.

"Oh, and Sarah? That offer for the Xmas party is still on the table. Just because we're friends now, it doesn't mean that you're out of my life," he offered honestly.

Sarah looked into his eyes, and could see that he really meant that. She didn't quite know what it was but she felt like she had lost something. She pushed that feeling away, and gave him a nod. And with that Sarah was out of sight.

"I should go, too," he said to his sister.

"No, no… Wait a sec. We need to talk about this. What happened, Chuck?" she inquired.

"Ellie, really, I don't have time right now," he said trying to evade the unpleasant talk.

"Chuck, the nerds can manage 10 minutes without you. You need to talk about this," she replied grabbing his wrist for emphasis.

He looked up, a bit frustrated. But Ellie knew he would cave.

"Come on, I can write you a doctor's note so you don't have any trouble with Big Mike," she joked trying to lighten his mood a little.

He gave her a small grin, and she matched it. They sat on the fountain to talk.

"So? What was that all about?" she asked, showing genuine concern.

"Well, you heard us. We decided to be just friends and leave it like that," he said.

"But you really like this girl, Chuck. You told me yourself. And I can tell that she likes you, too," she tried.

He didn't say anything. What was he supposed to? Tell Ellie that the reason why she sees that Sarah likes him is because she's a fantastic actress? That they have been faking a relationship all along? That the only fool to actually develop real feelings while pretending was him?

"So? You like…" she insisted.

He couldn't take this any longer.

"Yes, Ellie! I like her! I like her a lot, okay?!" he blurted.

"What's the matter then? She…" she tried but was cut by him.

"She doesn't. She doesn't like me. Not the way that I like her, anyway. I know that you see, that you get this vibe that she likes me, too. In that way, I mean. But can I tell that she doesn't, that I'm sure she doesn't, and just leave it like that? Can you just… trust me on that? Without further elaboration? It's just… complicated, you know. Can you just trust me?" he pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

Ellie hated to see her brother like that. But she knew that he must have had a good damn reason for this desperate plea. Maybe he wasn't ready to talk about it just yet. She would wait. She knew that he knew that when he really needed to talk, she would be there. That was the kind of amazing relationship they had.

"Sure," she nodded, squeezed his hand gently, and gave him a tight hug.

"Thank you, sis," he said cheaply.

Chuck didn't know what he did to deserve such an incredible sister. He gave her his best trademark Chuck smile; he knew she deserved at least that; kissed her on the cheek, and made his way to the store.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 2/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Thank you so much for the reviews! Even 'though I find it astonishing how many people read these things, and don't leave a review. Anyhow; **jquist**thank you for the kind words. It's really motivating to see a functional family unit, and this show really delivers that. I fully intend to keep this up throughout the whole story, really nice o f you to notice that. And don't worry, this writer here will sure deal with the angst… eventually. It can't be too easy, right:)

And **freak4wb** – aka **cowgirl08** – nice of you to swing by and drop a review! I sure recognize you from FF. I hope you keep reading the fic.

Also -- I forgot to say this before -- I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes. English is _not_ my first language, I'm trying my best here, but sorry for the butchering on your language. With that out of the way: enjoy Chapter II!

**Chapter II**

Chuck arrived at the Buy More shortly after talking to Ellie. He did his thing, you know, fixed some computers, helped some people out with their electronic gadgets, shared some laughs with Morgan, was the butt of a few, well, most of Casey's jokes… Just a regular Chuck day.

As he was about to leave for the day, Casey called him to the break-room area.

"I spoke to the General an hour ago, and our next assignment was postponed. The politician will only make his public speech tomorrow. So, consider this your night off, soldier. Don't ever say you never had one," he said finishing the sentence with a punch on Chuck's arm.

Chuck winced, but managed to reply.

"Wow! A _whole_ night off! I don't know how will I ever thank you enough," he mocked.

Chuck left the room, and headed for the store's exit door. The moment he stepped one foot out he saw Sarah walking towards her car, and his heart skipped a beat. He had to admit that she still had some sort of effect on him. He smiled and waved at her, she reciprocated the gesture.

Sarah was dying to talk to Chuck, but she didn't know if he wanted to talk to her. This morning everything felt very weird for her, she thought everything between them was fine when they agreed to be friends at the Xmas party. But then, Chuck acted really strange around Ellie, and basically destroyed their cover relationship. She wasn't sure at all about what was going on through that head of his.

And one thing that Sarah enjoyed was control. She had this pathologic need for it, maybe it was because of her job, maybe it was because it really was a part of her personality. She no longer could tell. But the moment she ran out of control, was the moment she lost her ground. And that was becoming way too common whenever certain someone named Chuck was around. She didn't like that, she didn't like that at all.

That's why she had to be rude to him on their last mission. She had to be cruel to be kind. She needed to make him understand that there's no way a relationship between the "job" and his handler could work. As tough as it was for her hurting him, she had to make crystal clear that this is her job. And her job only. Most of all she needed to keep repeating that, because maybe she would start believing it herself.

Chuck didn't know if he should go ahead and talk to her. Does she want to talk to me? He wondered. What the hell?! He thought.

Like that he started walking in her direction. She saw him coming, and a part of her was glad. Not that she'd admit it. Not even to herself. So, she just waited for him by her car, keys in hand.

"Hey," he started.

"Hi," she said softly with a half-smile.

"I think we need to talk. Wanna grab some coffee?"

"Sure."

They walked side by side the whole way to the coffee shop on the corner. Neither said a word. Both kept thinking about conversation topics to talk along the way, but came out empty. Small talk seemed rather pointless compared to the giant pink elephant that walked on the rather wide gap between the pair. So, they just embraced the silence.

It was a short walk, but it felt like a marathon for them. They arrived and took a seat at an outdoor table by the sidewalk. The atmosphere was still tense. So, Sarah decided to just say something.

"So, about this morning…" she tried to get the conversation going.

"Oh, direct to the point, huh?" he let slip a nervous chuckle.

She didn't react to that, he noticed.

"Ok, ok… uh, I'm sorry. This morning I, I didn't mean to spring that on you. I wanted to talk to you first…" he added, but was cut by the waitress.

"Hello! Can I get you two something?" she asked.

"Oh, sure. I'll have a coffee. Black, with lots of sugar," he replied looking up at the waitress.

"And she'll have a…" he abruptly stopped.

He stayed like that looking straight at the waitress for a few seconds. He realized he didn't know how Sarah took her coffee. He turned his head to her, waiting for her to complete the order. She took the hint.

"I'll have a non-fat vanilla latte. Thanks," she said with a polite smile.

"Ok. I'll be right back," the woman said writing the order on a pad, and leaving.

Sarah noticed that Chuck had a lost stare at his face.

"Chuck?" she tried to get his attention.

He got out of his daze.

"I don't even know how you take your coffee," he said shaking his head, with a disbelief grin.

She didn't get what he was trying to say there.

"See, this is also one of the reasons why I think we shouldn't get back to our boyfriend/girlfriend cover," he added.

"What does my taste in coffee have to do with our cover, or lack thereof?" she asked a tad frustrated.

"I will more that gladly pose as your boyfriend, husband, lover, whatever you guys need me to be. As long as it is on a mission," he blurted.

He got her full attention now.

"I can't, I just can't pretend at real life anymore! I'm sorry. It's too much for me. I know… I get that you agents are trained to separate fact from fiction…"

Sarah winced in her seat at that.

"… But I'm a civilian. I don't know how, ok? I heard when you said there's no chance for you and I. I may not have believed at first, but the other times sure did the trick. I got it. I mean, to me, our kiss was like… wow! But to you it was just a mistake. Carpe diem, perhaps? 'I'll die in a couple seconds, might as well enjoy my time left'…" he was in a row.

"Chuck…" she tried to interject wearing a sad look on her face.

"No, no… let me get this all out, please. The thing is… The thing is I'm afraid my foolish, pathetic, inexperienced heart may not recover from another break, you know. And if we keep this up, this little show up, I'm sure it will," he said grinning awkwardly.

"So, if we could stop right now it would really help me cut my loses," he finished.

"Wow… You really came up with lots of reasons, huh?" she asked.

Was that sadness in her eyes? Chuck wondered. Oh, here he was doing that again. Reading things where nothing at all was written. Feeding again his famished hopes. No, no… He wouldn't do that!

The waitress came back with their order, and both thanked her accordingly.

But the moment wasn't lost. And Sarah was indeed sad. She knew she had hurt chuck, but thinking about it was something, and hearing that from his own mouth was another. She felt worst than she ever thought possible. She wanted to tell him he was wrong. That yes, she said their kiss was a mistake. But it sure wasn't a mistake because of the reasons he said, or for the reasons he probably was thinking over and over. It was a mistake because she, _agent Sarah Walker_, couldn't fall in love with the Intersect. She couldn't have -- at any circumstance – let her guard down. And she did that. She did that with him, she did that for him. _That_ was the mistake.

But she couldn't tell him this. No way! She had already compromised her job enough as it was. The best thing to do now, for him and for her, was to let him believe this scenario he created. Sure it was hard on both ends. And oh it was being hard on her…But it was the _right_ thing to do. And agent Walker was well schooled by now on doing the _right_ things. It was her job. There could never be any future for the two of them. So, instead of saying all of this that was going through her head, she settled for

"I understand, Chuck. And if that's how you feel…"

"Yes, it is. It is…" he confirmed.

"You know, all of this that we're going through, not just what's happening between us, I mean… with this whole spy life thing. All of this made me realize that I want something more. I want something real with someone. Someone that will be there for me. Someone with whom I can share anything, and that'll share everything with me. Even their middle name…" he tried to joke light-hearted with a sad grin.

That little zing sure hit Sarah, and she sorta flinched on her seat.

"Something more like what Ellie has with Awesome, you know. Partnership. I've been putting it off for too long, but I think I'm ready for my life to start now. You guys kinda helped me to see that," he added firmly.

A moment of silence fell upon them. Not the awkward type this time. It was a different one… Maybe some sort of quiet reflection on both parts, and a feeling of wasted opportunity perhaps. It was hard to describe. They just sat there staring at each other. Chuck was the one who broke the silence.

"But I want you to know that I really meant when I offered my friendship," he said smiling cheaply.

"Well, I meant it, too," she said softly and yet convincingly.

They stared at each other a bit more, and Chuck was the one to stand up first, followed shortly by Sarah. He got his wallet from his pocket to pay for the coffees, and she quickly started to open her purse.

"I got this," he said leaving some cash on the table.

"Thank you," she replied smiling a bit wider this time.

"Well, this was good," he said matching her smile.

"I should…" he motioned to one side of the street.

"Yeah, me too," she said motioning to the opposite side he did.

As they were heading to different sides, Sarah called out.

"Hey, Chuck! For what is worth, I really think that you deserve nothing less than what you said you wanted before," she said with bittersweet eyes.

He grinned, nodded, and went his way. Sarah stood there watching him walk away, and when he was out of ear range she said

"Too bad I can't be the one to give you that."

She looked down for awhile, and after a few seconds she walked straight to her car and went to her cold hotel room.

**A/N**Hope you guys like this chapter. I know things are a tad (read: a lot) on the angst side right now. But be patient with me… It can't all work out magically, right? Things were said, feelings were hurt, and it'd be unrealistic to plaster a quick fix. But expect a Xmas Eve chapter next, so, things will probably be more jolly :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 3/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Again, I'd like to say thanks for the reviews. In the words of the Captain: you guys are awesome! **SoContagious**, I simply adored your review. It's so nice to hear, well, read that someone out there is really getting, is really feeling what you write. It's so cool. Thanks for the kind words, and for the reviews tip. I didn't know about that, but I've already fixed it :)

And **gaaddict67**, I re-read the part you were talking about, and I guess you're right. It did kinda remind me of Notting Hill as well. It wasn't intentional 'though. I like that movie, maybe my subconscious did the trick here. Perhaps in some part of this story I'll have Sarah saying to Chuck: "I'm only a girl standing in front of a guy asking him to love her", or something like that. Ha, ha… maybe not :D

**clic-clic**, it's a relief to know my English doesn't suck completely. At least I'm being able to get my points across :)

**Chapter III**

The week flew by, and when everybody noticed it was already Xmas eve. Chuck had just finished a busy day at work, people always managed to leave a lot of the shopping for the last possible minute.

"Hey buddy, see you and Anna at seven-ish, right?" he asked Morgan, while heading for the store's exit door.

"Sure, pal! There's no way I'd pass on Ellie's breast," he replied.

Chuck gave him his best mock serious look.

"Turkey… Ellie's turkey breast, dude," he completed.

"Be nice, or I'll make you seat at the kiddies' table," the taller man warned.

Anna, who was unseen behind a shelf, came out with an evil glare.

"Morgan!" she spat before heading for the breakroom area fuming.

Morgan quickly followed her.

"Anna Banana… sweetheart, I meant turkey. I meant turkey!" he yelled behind her.

Chuck only managed to laugh, resuming his way out of the store. He looked at the spot Sarah always parked her car and didn't see the vehicle there. He went to Wienerlicious, but it was already closed. He wanted to confirm her presence at the Bartowskis bash. She succeeded to dodge the question "are you coming to our party?" every time it came up the whole week. Oh, well… He'd have to wait and see.

Chuck arrived home and was immediately welcomed by the extraordinary smell of Ellie's Xmas cooking. She had started the preparations with the crack of the dawn. The whole house was looking amazing, the Xmas tree looked like Martha Stewart herself had decorated it – in between jail and house arrest that is. It was remarkable how Ellie took care of every single detail, and produced this warm feel of home to their house.

She came out of the kitchen in frenzy.

"Tell me you got my message," she said.

"Yes, I believe I got you email entitled, and I quote, 'extremely important national emergency'. The nutmeg is in the house, crisis averted," he said grinning, and holding up a paper bag.

"Have I already told you that you're my favorite brother?" she asked matching his grin, taking the bag, and getting back to the kitchen.

"Don't I know?" he teased, letting his body fall on the couch.

"Dinner will be ready in a couple hours," she shouted from the kitchen.

"Awesome. Where is he, by the way?" he asked.

"He's taking a shower. I'm next. Can you keep an eye on the star of the night at the oven while I'm at it?" she asked.

"Sure, sis," he said while munching on a fresh baked cookie he took from a plate on the coffee table.

Two later the three of them were bathed, changed, and smelling good. Ellie wore a simple, and yet elegant dress. It had red and white stripes all over, and it showed a reasonable amount of her back skin. Accompanied by these gorgeous, red peep-toe pumps. Awesome was wearing a neat pair of tan trousers, and a high neck, dark green sweater. Chuck wore a smart, casual pair of black slacks, matched with a light blue dress shirt underneath a navy blue v-neck cashmere sweater.

The guests started to show up. First Morgan and Anna, and right after Casey. He wasn't one to be all into holidays, and celebrations related, but Ellie insisted so much, saying nobody should spend Xmas alone, that he really should join them otherwise she'd be tempted to sing carols all night at his door, that he finally caved.

"Sorry for the delay, people," Ellie said from the kitchen.

"The bird is taking a bit longer to get at the exact point of crisp that I like. But it won't be long, and you won't regret the waiting. I promise," she added.

Chuck was looking at his watch. It was already 45 minutes after the time set for the party, and Sarah was still MIA. What had happened? Wasn't she coming? He took his iPhone from the coffee table, went to a corner, and called her hotel room. It rang, and it rang, and it rang… She didn't pick up. He tried again, this time at her cell. Same thing happened.

Maybe something bad happened to her. This last thought worried Chuck. So, he went to Casey, who was in a corner alone sipping some eggnog.

"Hey, Casey! Merry Xmas! How are you doing?" he said smiling, and patting the man in the back.

Casey directed his eyes to Chuck's hand, the one who was patting his back. That made Chuck remove his hand as if it was touching something extremely hot.

"Peachy. Just peachy," he said.

"So, talked to Sarah lately?" he asked.

"I know you think agent Walker and I have these really long phone chats, talking about our day, and all; but I just missed her call today. I know, bummer!" he sarcastically spoke.

Chuck ignored the sarcasm.

"I'm worried. She hasn't arrived yet. 45 minutes passed already, 50 now. Maybe something bad happened to her, you know, spy related stuff," he whispered this last part.

"Or maybe, just throwing a crazy idea here, she knew this party would be a bore, and since your cover relationship is no longer, she found the greatest excuse to bail and leave the job of protecting the Intersect for the night just for lucky ol' me," he finished angrily.

"You are no help. Excuse me," Chuck said heading for the kitchen.

"Hey, sis. I have to leave for a few minutes," he said to Ellie, who was taking a pick inside the oven.

"What?! The turkey is practically ready!" she said turning around to face him.

"It's Sarah. She hasn't showed up yet. I'm a bit worried," he said with concern in his face.

"Well, maybe she isn't coming, Chuck. You know, maybe she thinks it'd be kinda awkward to show up for Xmas dinner at _your_ place, with _your_ family and friends, now that you two aren't together anymore," she said honestly.

Chuck thought that was possible, actually it was rather likely that was the reason Sarah didn't show up. Why didn't he think that? We, men… we're clueless, he thought.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," he conceded looking at his sister, who was now leaning on the counter next to him.

He thought for a few seconds.

"Even so… It's Xmas! Nobody should spend Xmas alone. And we're friends; I don't want to think of her spending this day alone. She doesn't know anyone in this town… but us. I should still go there to get her," he said with a confirmation nod.

Ellie looked at him with amazement.

"You are a fantastic guy, Charles Bartowski," she said softly.

"So you keep saying. I won't take long. Can you hold the fort?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Don't I always?" she replied smiling.

He grabbed the keys to the nerdmobile, and went out.

Sarah was sprawled on her bed in her pajamas. She thought that if she kept flicking through the tv channels long enough something good was bound to come up. Until now she hadn't reached such luck. The truth was she was feeling a little blue. Ever since she became a spy, the holidays were the toughest times on her. A sense about being alone, utterly and completely alone in this world, always hit her. No calls, no cards, no presents, no nothing… She longed for a feeling of belonging.

But this year she found herself even sadder. And she didn't know why… That was a lie. A lie she was trying really hard to believe in. Deep down she knew very well the reason she felt this badly, the reason she felt this empty. Sarah, against her will – and better judgment – allowed herself to get _infatuated_ for the Bartowskis. She started to feel like she belonged there, something she haven't felt in many, many moons. And these, for an agent, were really dangerous feelings.

No guy had made Sarah think about settling down, having a normal life, you know, with kids, dogs, mortgage, a white picket fence… the whole shebang. But then Chuck came into the picture. And before she could notice, before she could stop, the thoughts were there… Dancing around her head, taunting her. That made her scared.

With that in mind she decided that she wouldn't attend Chuck's Xmas party. After all she wasn't even his _girlfriend_ anymore, she was just another friend; and a friend's presence isn't mandatory. Plus, it would be kinda awkward to attend after their fake break-up. Even 'though she was a well trained CIA agent, and she had faced her share of rather uncomfortable situations; she wasn't sure if she could face Ellie, Awesome, and co. This time around, she actually cared about the people involved.

That's why she didn't pick up the phone when Chuck called her. She knew he would insist on her coming over. There it was this guy, who thought she had no feelings whatsoever for him, who was told quite bluntly by her that she wasn't into him many times, and _still_ he wanted to include her. How could she ever forget her feelings for him when time after time he pulled stuff like this? She wondered. But she had to stay strong, so that's what she did ignoring the calls.

Sarah was brought back from her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. She had a pretty good idea of who it was, but she couldn't believe he came all the way here. She turned off the tv quickly. Frankly, she didn't want to have that talk. She just wanted to avoid a face-to-face. She got up stealthily, made her way to the door, and checked through the peephole. It _was _him.

She walked the way back to bed on the tip of her toes. She really was intending on ignoring him, and pretending she wasn't there. Then it came a second knock. She flinched, but didn't open the door.

"Come on, Sarah! I know you're in there. I heard the tv before. Open up," came his muffled voice from the outside.

Like the stubborn woman she is, she insisted on the ignoring plan. He knocked again, this time creating a little knocking-melody.

"Please, open up. I'm not going to leave here until you do. I'd threat to knock down your door, but really, it's Chuck here, by now we both know that I couldn't do it. So, as far as empty threats go this would be pretty empty. Plus, I left a bunch of hungry people at home waiting for me so they could eat, I'm pretty sure if I take too long they'll send a search party…" he babbled.

She smiled, and walked to the door.

"Sarah, oh Sarah… Sarah, oh Sarah…" he said in a sing-a-song voice.

She looked through the peephole again, and saw him with his ear pressed against the door. She muffled a chuckle. After she regained her composure, she opened the door leaning on it.

She stood there staring at him. She didn't mean or want to, but she noticed he was looking very good in that outfit.

"Aren't you inviting me in?" he asked with a goofy smile plastered on his face.

"What are you doing here, Chuck?" she asked politely.

"You didn't come to the party, neither picked up your phone; I thought you might be in trouble. I was concerned," he said honestly.

She let the walls down a bit, and gave him a smile.

"I'm fine, Chuck, as you can see. You didn't have to come here. It's Xmas, you should be with your family. I just, uh, I just wasn't in the mood to go,"

"No way! Like you said, it's Xmas. Go put something on, and come with me. They're waiting for us," he said forcing his way in her room.

She followed him with her eyes, a little annoyed by his forced entry. She closed the door nonetheless.

"No, Chuck! I'm not coming. I'm fine here, resting for a bit," she tried lamely.

"Yeah, right," he said sitting on her bed.

"See, it's Xmas. Nobody should spend Xmas alone. Even Casey is there, you know, no one can say 'no' to Ellie," he added grinning.

"Now, seriously, come with me. I want you there, not here in this hotel room by yourself," he finished softly.

He got to her. The armor wasn't that thick, after all.

"I don't know… I, uh, maybe it would be…" she couldn't bring herself to finish.

She really was bad with getting her feelings across. She just wasn't good at all in the words-meet-feelings department.

"Awkward?" he helped -- with Ellie's help, really.

"Yes!" she thankfully answered.

"No, it won't be. You're my friend. You're expected to be there, just because we had a fake break-up, or real break-up for them, it doesn't mean that we can't see each other ever again. Everybody gets that," he tried.

"Ellie must hate me now. Everybody must hate me. 'How could she let the relationship end?', they must wonder. 'She wasn't right for you, Chuck. You can do much better!', I bet they're saying. They hate me, I know they do," she opened up, and sat on the couch.

"Hey! Ellie doesn't hate you. Nobody hates you. She always said how great you are, she really likes you," he said softly sitting next to her on the couch.

"Yeah, that was before we broke-up," she kinda whined.

"No, it wasn't. Plus, I said we both decided to end things. It wasn't like you dumped me, or something. If that was the case, then they would hate you. You'd have to move to a different city, or even a different state. But since it isn't you're cool," he said smiling.

She smiled back.

"I'll take that as a 'Yes, I'm coming to the party with you, Chuck'," he said her part in an extremely high pitched girly voice.

"I don't sound like that at all," she replied grinning.

"So, you're coming?" he asked more seriously.

She nodded.

"Great!" he exclaimed with a huge smile, getting up.

"Let's go, then," he added.

"I just need to change first," she said getting up, as well.

"You look great, let's go," he said taking a once over at her.

"Chuck, I'm in pajamas. It'll only take 10 minutes, 15 tops," she said heading for the bathroom.

Chuck let his body fall onto the couch. When a woman said she would need 15 minutes, you could expect 1 hour. He knew he was there for the duration, so, he might as well get comfortable.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Sorry to leave things kinda unfinished, but the chapter was getting too long. And sorry for making you guys wait a bit longer, but I _did_ write this chapter longer to make it up. It seems that my muse is playing tricks on me. When I seat down to write, she refuses to come; and when I'm busy doing other things, she fills my mind with ideas. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this chapter :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 4/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! It's really great, _and_ productive, to get feedback. It's so interesting to get other people's perspective on what comes out of your head. It's rather surreal.

**Kayla**, thank you so much for the kind words. You pretty much summed up everything I consider important in a fic: well-written, so it gets you involved on the story; plenty of details, so you can sorta visualize what has been written; in-character, so it seems less like a fic and more like the real thing (just like you pointed out, **nattylovesjordy**). That's basically what I look in a fic when I decide if I should read it or not; and that's what I try to achieve when writing one. So, the fact that you got that feeling from my fic is beyond amazing. Thanks, again, for the review:)

I should stop here. I have this tendency of being prolix beyond my means :D

**Chapter IV**

13 minutes. Apparently when a woman, _who is also a CIA spy_, says she'll be taking 10 minutes – 15 tops – to get ready; she really means it. Well, that was something Chuck would definitely file under the category "real things I know about Sarah". It wasn't a long list, he admits it, but he secretly enjoyed adding more things to it.

Chuck was sprawled on her couch when she got out of the bathroom. The first thing he did was seat up straight… very quickly. The second was trying to hide, not successfully, the gob smacked look on his face. The guy literally gulped. She came out wearing this beautiful, dark blue, knee-length, satin dress, which tied delicately around her neck. Accompanied by this amazingly classy, black stiletto sandals.

"I'm ready to go," she said, placing a lip-gloss on the vanity.

He managed to stand up while still recovering from the previous drooling moment.

"You… That's really… You look, uh, nice," he succeeded on getting out.

She turned around to look at him for the first time since she entered the room. And she finally got that she had made, uh, an _impression_. She couldn't help but smile, a shy smile, but a smile nonetheless.

There was an awkward moment. But it didn't last long, he broke it.

"We should, uh, we should go, then," he said.

She got her keys, trench coat, and they left the room. As they were walking side by side down the lobby, she noticed that they matched. Their _outfits_ matched. Freudian mind slip, perhaps? She thought. But her brain shut that thought down. No, just a slip! It corrected itself. Anyhow, there they were: blue and blue. Maybe she unconsciously did that, picked something to match with him. Well, she wouldn't delve on that.

"You can come with me. I'm with the nerdmobile," he said as he held the door for her, and they walked out of the hotel.

She grinned at his gentleman gesture when he wasn't looking, and said,

"I think it's best if I take my car, you know, I'll have to come back home later," she said.

"I can bring you back here after the party," he replied politely.

"No, I don't want to be any trouble. It's fine this way, really," she said gently.

He conceded under protest. Each went in their own car. They arrived home together 10 minutes later, and everyone was mingling. Well, maybe not everyone. Casey wasn't one to _mingle_. Chuck entered, followed closely by a mink Sarah. He took her coat and hung it.

"We're here! Where's the bird?" he exclaimed.

Ellie and Awesome came to greet them.

"Sarah, I'm so glad you decided to join us," she said to the blonde, while giving her a welcome-hug.

The Captain was right behind Ellie, giving Sarah a nod to confirm his girlfriend's statement.

Chuck directed a look towards Sarah. A look that silently said "see, I told you she didn't hate you". Sarah got the look and smiled briefly at him.

"Thank _you_ for having me," Sarah replied, smiling brightly.

"Oh, Chuck! I want you to meet someone," she said while motioning to someone to come over.

"And thank you very much for leaving me here for _40 minutes_ to deal with _your_ friend's girlfriend, Anna, who has no interest in disguising her hatred towards me; and Morgan himself, who I don't even have to say anything… You own me big. Big!" she whispered, through a fake smile, for Chuck's ears only.

He gave her a sympathetic smile, and mouthed "sorry".

A beautiful, blue-eyed brunette showed up smiling brightly next to Ellie and Awesome. Chuck, _and Sarah_, gave the woman a once over. She was definitely a looker, more on the petit side, but definitely a looker.

"Here she is!" Ellie exclaimed.

"Chuck, I'd like you to meet Julia Campbell. She is the newest doctor at the hospital, she just moved in from New York. So, yesterday we were working at the same shift, and she mentioned this. I asked if she was going home for the holidays, and she told she was going to spend it here by herself. I couldn't let that happen, so I invited her to join us," Ellie explained.

"Julia, this is my brother Chuck. Now, go ahead and talk amongst yourselves. I need to bring the food to the table, so we can finally eat. Devon, care to help me?" she asked.

"Sure, honey. Excuse us," he said, and both went to the kitchen.

"So, this is the famous Chuck. I've only met Ellie recently, but she talks a lot about you; I feel like I already know you," Julia said.

"Oh, don't believe anything she said. I'm sure at least half of what she said are lies; I plead not guilty on all charges," he joked grinning.

She laughed, but Sarah was clearly not that amused.

"Nice to meet you, by the way," he added.

He noticed Sarah by his side. She had this strange expression on her face; he couldn't quite peg what it meant 'though.

"You too," Julia replied charmingly.

"Oh, and this is Sarah. Sarah Walker," he said.

"Hi! Glad to meet you, Sarah," the brunette smilingly stated.

"Same here," the blonde replied with a plastered smile.

"You two make such a beautiful couple," she honestly said.

"Oh, no! We're not a couple. Sarah is my friend," Chuck firmly put it.

Chuck had said this phrase so many times that it was getting easier to deliver it. He didn't stumble on the words anymore, maybe this was a sign that things would get easier, he thought to himself. Sarah, on the other hand, felt the sting of his words… again. She wasn't supposed to, she knew that, but she did feel it. Perhaps, deep down, she knew that this _friends_ status was there because of her. And because of her only. Because she couldn't reveal her true feelings.

Sarah gave him a brief, somewhat hurt look. Again, he didn't get it.

"I'm sorry. I just assumed, I guess. You two coming in together…" she tried.

"He just picked me up. It was just a ride," Sarah said, after recovering quickly from the blow.

This time it was Chuck who felt the sting. Apparently, when the words came from _her_ mouth, his newfound immunity wasn't as effective. He was as vulnerable as ever.

Now Chuck was the one giving Sarah a brief, somewhat hurt look. But unlike him, she got it. She was trained to read people, as much as she didn't care for this _ability_ at certain times. Like right now.

"Ok, my bad. For those keeping track, this should be my first foot-in-the-mouth scene. Stay tuned for next episode's scenes," she joked, oblivious to the un-couple's looks exchange.

Chuck laughed whole-heartily. She's pretty funny, he thought. Sarah laughed, as well. Not so genuinely 'though. She's funny, she thought. She didn't know why, but at that moment she felt a bit quizzy.

"People, dinner's on the table," Ellie shouted.

Everyone went to the table. Everything was beautiful; the food smelled good and looked good. Plus, the room was filled with that Xmas vibe, that warmth that was so much more accentuated at holidays. They all sat down, and started to talk and eat their meal. It was Xmas.

**TBC**

**A/N: **Well, there it goes another chapter. So, Julia, huh? Hope you guys give the girl a fighting chance before shredding her to pieces lol Like I said before, I don't intend to make things easy. But what I like to say now is that I envisioned Zooey Deschanel playing Julia. I find it easier for the readers to _cast_ someone, rather than let it all for your imagination. I like Zooey's acting style: unpretentious, natural, and refreshing. Plus, she does tv. It'd unreasonable of me to imagine, I don't know, Scarlett Johansson. Even 'though I _love_ her work, it's unlikely – not to say impossible – she'd do tv work. But be free to imagine anyone else if you prefer. I know, I'm too anal for my own good :D

Anyhow, the Xmas storyline is getting more prolonged than I originally thought; but I keep getting these ideas. I intend to wrap this up asap. This is more like a transitional chapter, that's why is kinda shorter. However, I'm almost finishing the next chapter, and I can safely say that it'll be longer. I don't know if I'll be able to post it today – with New Year's Eve, and all (Happy New Year, btw!) – so, I won't make any promises about it. But, luckily, I'll have it up and running by tomorrow.

I've babbled enough… Hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think. Talk to you soon :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 5/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master. I do own Julia, 'though :D

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: **Federaldragon**, sorry, I don't watch Bones. I've seen one, two episodes at most. So, I don't know this Emily well, therefore can't tell if they're related; but I'll google it later.

**nattylovesjordy**, your reviews make my heart soar lol But watch out! I don't want to feel responsible for some injury you may get from falling off of bed :D

**Saucy-Duck**, glad you appreciated my actress choice. I'm sorry you had to re-read to picture Zooey in it. I thought about putting that note before the chapter, but then, I didn't want to spoil Julia's appearance. Anyhow, thanks for the review.

**gaaddict67**, glad you liked Julia! I like you for liking Julia :) Anyway, I think you might be getting where I'm headed.

**cowgirl08**, don't worry. Chuck and Sarah are my #1, too. I promise everything will turn out okay.

Thanks for all the reviews, and let the fun begin!

**Chapter V**

"The food was great, sis," Chuck said, wearing his megawatt smile.

Ellie smiled back at him.

"You totally have outdone yourself this time, Ellie! This meal was _the best_ I've ever had," Morgan enthusiastically added.

Anna shot him a death glare, and without any words he knew he was in trouble.

"Right after your bean casserole, dear," he quickly recovered.

Anna didn't seem that convinced, but he kept making eyes at her; so, she caved and smiled at him. A half-smile 'though. But, there was no way she would compliment _the other woman's_ food. That was for sure.

"From someone who was about to order the Xmas special at her neighborhood restaurant, I can honestly say 'thank you'! You are an amazing chef, Ellie," Julia stated.

"Yes, the lady's awesome!" the Captain added, kissing his girlfriend's cheek.

"Everything was amazing, Ellie," Sarah said softly.

Casey, on the edge of his seat, nodded vehemently after Sarah's statement, to escape this triviality of praising the woman's cooking. Even 'though he really did enjoy the meal.

"Why, thank you all! You're far too kind," she modestly put it.

Although she knew very well that she really knew how to cook great food.

"Now, enough with polishing my ego. Let's open some presents!" the brunette exclaimed.

Casey really wasn't the type of guy to seat in front of a Xmas tree, and start gushing at every present that got opened. He'd rather have some criminal pluck out tooth by tooth from his mouth, slowly and painfully, than having to set through that. He decided it was time to vanish from the scene.

"Hey, thank you for dinner; but I have to, uh, I think it's time for me to go," he said softly, more to Ellie than the rest.

"No way! This is the best part of the night, you can't leave now. Plus, I got a little something for you, too. You won't leave empty handed," Ellie tried.

"If the dude wants to go, I think we should let him go," Morgan stated.

Lately he had felt a bit of jealousy towards _John Casey_. It seemed like the dude wanted to steal his best friend. He was always hanging around Chuck, and crashing all the Bartowskis' events. Well, that is _my_ thing, he thought.

"No! I think Ellie is right," Chuck intervened, staring directly at Casey.

"I think Casey has to stay until we open _all_ the presents in this tree. One by one. It will be so much fun. Won't it, Casey?" he added, clearly trying to bait the NSA agent.

Chuck didn't know when, but he had actually started to enjoy this little teasing/baiting contest with Casey. It was their thing. And, much to the agent's dismay, he had also.

Casey took the bait alright. 'Cause he pursed his lips, and gave Chuck his best menace-stare.

"Well, if you insist," he managed to say, while getting a hold of his temper.

Sarah had a smile on her face throughout the whole exchange, she couldn't contain it. She was the only one in the room who really got the real meaning behind it.

Some people set on the couch, which had been strategically maneuvered to face the tree and all its presents; some on the armchairs, wherever one could fit, really. Ellie handed Chuck and Awesome their presents. Both loved the pieces of clothing, and electronic gadgets. The other guys – mostly Morgan – commented on how cool the gadgets were. The three other girls commented on how beautiful the clothes were.

It was time for Chuck and Awesome to give Ellie her gifts. She got some pieces of clothing that were strategically circled on several catalogs. Catalogs that were _conveniently_ sprawled all over the Bartowskis' home. She learned the hard way many Xmas before that her boys had no taste in women's clothing whatsoever. She also got bath oils, and fancy soaps. She couldn't have asked for better gifts.

Chuck handed Morgan his gift. It was a game that Morgan really wanted, but had sold out when he went to buy it. Chuck had ordered his copy weeks ago online. Morgan was so thrilled that he looked like he could cry.

"There's no need to cry, buddy," Chuck joked, smiling.

"So, where's my present?" he asked Morgan.

"Here it is," Morgan said, taking it from under the tree and handing him the box.

Chuck opened the box, and a puzzled look took over his face.

"What the heck is this?" he asked, taking the thing out of the box.

In his hands was this black, skimpy, lace halter babydoll. Everyone in the room matched Chuck's puzzled look now. Well, except for Casey. He was laughing as he mentally came up with several sissy jokes to torment Chuck later.

"Oh, yeah…" Morgan calmly said.

"I bought this gift so many moons ago that I even forgot what it was, dude. I got it as a present for you that would also be a present for Sarah, you know, killing two birds with one stone. Tough times for a Buy More salesman, bro…" he added.

Chuck now was the picture of awkwardness. He couldn't get any more red. Sarah was also mortified. If she could dig a hole right there in the living room, she would do it, and after that she would crawl inside it… to never come out again.

Julia didn't know why that piece of information bothered her, but it did. Was she interested in this Chuck guy? She hadn't thought about that until now. She sure found him quite charming, in his own geeky kind of way, from the getgo. Plus, he was funny, smart… Oh, boy! She thought.

It was safe to say that the main reaction to the whole ordeal was awkwardness. Even Anna couldn't believe Morgan did that, actually she could, but even so… this was bad. Casey didn't seem really affected 'though, he was quite blasé. And Morgan, the centerpiece of the "scandal", couldn't be more relaxed. It was like nothing embarrassing had happened.

"But this thing is from Victoria's Secrets, man. I pictured -- no offense, bro -- Sarah in it, and she'd fit right in with the other Angels. I can clearly see her walking down the catwalk with Gisele, Tyra, Heidi… Can't you?! I'm telling you, it would be a treat for you to see it live," he continued to poke the wound, looking at Sarah.

"I think we should just…" Chuck stumbled on the words, while nervously stuffing the babydoll back in the box.

He stole a quick glance at Sarah. He didn't need to be a specialist to see that she was embarrassed as well. But Morgan wasn't finished yet.

"No, buddy. You should keep it, now that the two of you are no longer; I'm sure you'll find another Angel," he said looking without any discretion at Julia.

The woman blushed, and grinned nervously. Sarah didn't found that little comment amusing and her face showed that. Chuck was beyond embarrassed. Embarrassment he was minutes ago, they would have to come up with a new word to describe what he was feeling.

"Yes, I saw the two of you talking. There was something there…" he added in a typical Morgan-is-onto-you tone.

"Shut up, Morgan," Chuck said muffling the words.

"What did I do?" he asked naively.

Ellie thought it was time to intervene. This was getting too awkward.

"I think it's time to give our guests their gifts," she exclaimed.

"Yes! It _is_ time!" Chuck reinforced, shoving the box back under the tree.

Ellie went to the kitchen with Awesome, and brought back four little baskets filled with homemade cookies.

"Here they are. One for Julia, Sarah, Casey and Anna," she said, handing each their own basket.

"I made them myself, from scratch. I hope you guys enjoy. Merry Xmas!" she added.

"Don't I get one?" Morgan whined.

Ellie directed a pointed look at him.

"No cookies for Morgan. Got it!" he said.

"Now, you guys wait a bit; I'll bring some hot cocoa and cookies to wrap up our evening," she stated, and off to the kitchen she went.

Julia went to talk to Chuck.

"So, I guess my previous foot-in-the-mouth moment was worst than I thought, huh?" she asked smiling.

He laughed. The girl was definitely funny… and charming, he thought.

"Yeah, well. Things are, uh… were complicated. We dated for a while, but recently we mutually decided that we're better off as friends," he told her.

"I'm sorry my friend pulled that one at you, by the way. Common sense isn't one of his qualities, as you might have already guessed," he added grinning.

"Yeah, I've gathered that much," she said laughing and nodding.

Sarah -- who was talking to Casey -- was more captivated by Chuck and Julia's conversation than her own. She noticed how they were all talkative and laughing together. To her annoyance, that really bothered her. She shouldn't let this bother her, she should be stronger, she felt like she was losing that battle; and Sarah Walker _hated_ losing.

Casey brought her back from her thoughts, and she finally deviated her eyes from Chuck and Julia.

"Jealous much?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'm not jealous. Who said I was jealous?" she asked defensively.

"You don't have to _say_ anything. It's written all over your face," he reprehended.

"I don't have to listen to this," she fumed.

But as she was leaving Casey grabbed her arm, not violently, just firmly.

"Be careful, Walker!" he alerted the blonde.

She got out of his grip, and left him alone. She crossed paths with Chuck and Julia.

"You caught him live?" he asked interested.

"Yes, he did this gig at a small bar near my place in New York. It was amazing!" she said enthusiastically.

"Damien Rice live at a small bar… that is 'wow'!" he exclaimed.

He saw Sarah passing by.

"Hey, Sarah," he called out.

She stopped on her tracks, but she secretly had been listening to their conversation. They were talking about music. She remembered their first "date". She didn't understand one thing about music. If she was to be honest, her job didn't leave much room for any other interest.

"I need to talk to you," he said softly.

"Can you excuse us for a bit?" he asked Julia.

She seemed a little disappointed to end the conversation. Chuck saw through that. He noticed that she was so much more transparent than… Well, he liked that. He knew where he was stepping into for once.

"Of, course. I'll go have some words with this Morgan guy. Maybe I'll fake outrage at his little gift stunt. Mess with him a little," she said smiling.

"I encourage that," he said laughing.

The girl is cool, he thought. Sarah, on the other hand, could feel the palpable chemistry between the two. And it made her feel a little blue.

"Can we go to my room?" he asked softly.

She nodded. He took the lead and she followed. They entered his room and he closed the door behind them. She wasn't really sure what all this was about.

"Sorry to drag you here. But I wanted to give you your gift, and I thought it would be weird to do it in front of them," he started.

"Oh, Chuck. You shouldn't have…" she tried.

"It's no big deal. I got it before our fake break-up; it would be pretty weird for a boyfriend _not_ to give his girlfriend a present on Xmas. Don't you think?" he asked, reaching for the gift inside his closet.

"But, we're not…" she tried.

"I know we're not boyfriend/girlfriend anymore. But since I already have this here, I figured… Plus, it's not something you can return, or exchange, anyway," he interjected, now holding a rectangular, kinda shallow, medium sized, red box.

"Merry Xmas, Sarah," he said, handing her the gift, and with a Chuck megawatt smile on his face.

She didn't notice, but she was with her full-blown Sarah smile on her face, too. She stood there, holding the red box that was tied with a beautiful, wide, green ribbon.

"Go ahead, open it!" Chuck rushed her.

"Okay," she said smiling.

She sat on his bed. He came closer but remained standing up, hovering over her. She felt like a little kid opening that gift. She untied the ribbon, and pulled the top off. She gently removed the delicate white paper that was involving it, and there it was…

**TBC**

**A/N:** Hope you liked the chapter. Sorry to leave you guys with a cliffhanger, but, again, it was getting too long. I can't seem to put Xmas to bed lol Anyhow, at least you can have some fun guessing what his present to Sarah will be, 'cause I already know the answer. The lucky winner will win a beautiful basket of delicious cookies, an Ellie Bartowski original! lmao

The next chapter will take longer to be written and posted, I must warn you. My friends are starting to call me a.s. (anti-social); so, I'll be pretty much busy hanging around in the club with them, swimming, and working on my tan. Yeah, it's a harsh life… It's too hot in here to be staying home sitting in front of the computer, anyways. But I promise to try my hardest to be quick.

Officially I can say now: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! And enjoy this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 6/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master. I do own Julia, 'though :D

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: **Go-Chuck-Go**, you're funny lol I'm sorry, rudeness/taunting really weren't my intentions. I was going to finish this chapter, and post it only tomorrow; but I sucked it up my tiredness and finished/posted today especially for you, who made me genuinely laugh with your review (this goes for **Saucy-Duck**, too – you guys are funny).

Speaking of **Saucy-Duck**, sorry to hear the weather in Oregon sucks. But don't worry, I heard pasty is the tan; I guess that means I'm not "in" 'cause right now I've got a noticeable bikini tan line. Even 'though I always follow Baz Luhrman's advice and do wear sunscreen. Oh, and I'll be careful. Julia isn't going to morph into Lou. Well, I hope not.

**Federaldragon**, thanks for going through the trouble to send a review. That was very nice of you.

**Miks, **I won't kill Julia. Sarah might… No, I'm kidding! But I do promise that she'll gracefully take a bow, and leave the stage… eventually.

**SoContagious**, you're always so kind. I don't have words… hugs

**gaaddict67, **I can't tell how much I love Rice. He's my favorite! I felt complied to throw him into the story just for my own twisted pleasure. Anyhow, thanks for the review!

**BadgersRule****/red lighting**, thanks for the review! I'm glad that you like the fic.

And about the present I'm a little self-conscious right now. I guess I shouldn't have created such a hype about it, 'cause I'm afraid the reality will let you guys down. You know what they say about high expectations… Now is bygones 'though. Let it be. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter VI**

"Go ahead, open it!" Chuck rushed her.

"Okay," she said smiling.

She sat on his bed. He came closer but remained standing up, hovering over her. She felt like a little kid opening that gift. She untied the ribbon, and pulled the top off. She gently removed the delicate paper that was involving it, and there it was. This beautiful, wide photo album.

She took her time to feel its red leather cover, it had all this texture, and it smelled great. She opened the album, and inside there were all these photos of the two of them together; them with Ellie, Awesome, Morgan and even Casey was in a couple of shots. She kept flipping through the beautiful black, thick carton-like pages, and there they were. Over and over again, laughing, goofing around, chillin' with friends and family.

She never felt this touched by a gift before. She felt like crying, but managed to keep a hold of her feelings and budding emotions. She couldn't believe how thoughtful it was. Nobody ever did something like that for her. Ever.

"I know it isn't the best gift, uh… I'm pretty awful at gift-giving in general. And I know you agents have this thing about not having a history, and all that. But, uh… in there it's ours, and even 'though it's a lame gift…" he was babbling like there was no tomorrow.

All the while he was saying this, she just kept tracing the photos, and the cover with her hand. She was trying hard to keep her emotions contained. And he kept babbling on and on; so, she decided to say something.

"It's perfect, Chuck," she said softly, looking up at him for the first time.

When their eyes met there was this intensity in the air. He could tell that she really meant it. Her eyes were peaceful, and serene. And he could have sworn that he was seeing vulnerability there.

Sarah, on her end, felt the desire to throw everything out the window at that moment. Her job, the concept of what was right and what was wrong, what she should or shouldn't do… all these huge issues that were standing between her and Chuck.

All she wanted right now was to tell him how she really felt; how lately she had been feeling these things; that she had been feeling differently. She didn't know if that was love, because she wasn't sure what that really was like. She sure have felt things for Bryce, but it was different from now. She had liked him a lot, but this was somehow… more. She wanted to tell him that she was scared, and confused to say the least; that she wanted to try being together for real. She wanted to ask if he felt the same…

But she couldn't… and she wouldn't. She swore she wouldn't make another _mistake_.

They stayed with eyes locked for a few seconds.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it," he said, smiling charmingly.

"You know, I got you a gift, too. I also bought mine before, you know…" she said, putting the album back in the box.

He nodded.

"It's actually in my car. I wasn't sure if I should return it or not," she confessed with a weak smile.

"You don't have to…," he tried defensively, after her last statement.

"I _want_ to," she stated grinning, emphasizing the middle word.

He grinned forfeiting his previous defense techniques.

"I'll go get it. It'll be better if I leave through your window. This way they don't see my gift or yours. I'll take mine to the car," she said grabbing the box.

"Nice spy covering-all-the-bases thinking!" he said.

She laughed, while heading to the window. As she was about to leave she said,

"Thank you again, Chuck. It was really sweet," she said softly.

He simply smiled, and she was out.

Moments later she was jumping the window back into the room. Chuck was seating on his brown armchair, feet up. When he saw her, he put them down.

"Tired after the one minute waiting?" she joked, smirking.

He grinned.

"Here. Merry Xmas!" she said, handing him the tall, deep, blue box.

"Thanks!" he replied.

He did not display Sarah's grace while opening his box, 'though. He untied the silver ribbon quite quickly, and carelessly. Sarah enjoyed watching him open the present. He took a pick inside of the box. His face went from glee to disbelief in one second.

"I can't believe you got me this," he said, looking up at her.

She feared she had gotten him the wrong present. His face looked so… fragile.

"Oh my gosh, you hated! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to re-open old wounds…" she tried awkwardly, and weakly.

"No," he said, seeming distraught, and taking out carefully two Lego cases from the box.

"I, uh… I loved. I just can't believe… I can't believe you remembered," he added, looking at her in awe.

"I mentioned _once_ that my worst Xmas ever was when I was 7, and my mom promised she would get me the Lego I wanted so badly… but then, uh, my _dad_ got me a basketball ball. And I didn't even played, or _liked_, basketball," he continued.

"Well, I was listening. And when you told me later about the whole 'Mother's Day' thing; I figured you didn't get the Lego that Xmas because that was the year your mom… left," she said the last part especially gently.

"And your dad probably didn't know what you really wanted. So, that Xmas, you spent without the Lego… _and_ without your mom. It must have been hard. Now, I can't do anything about your mom. _But_ I can at least fix the no-Lego situation," she added half-smiling.

"You're right. It was… It was awful. Our dad knew us, but he really didn't _know_ us. I'm sure he tried his best that first Xmas without his wife. But… well, it were tough times. I can't even tell how many times I heard Ellie crying in her bed," he opened up.

"She was this 10 year old girl who, besides losing her mother, was obliged to become the mother of her 7 year old little brother," he added.

"But enough with the sad saga," he said after a break, shaking his head.

"We made it through, and we took care of each other. We still do," he added grinning.

Sarah was amazed; there was so much of him she didn't know. And she wanted to. She wanted to know everything there was to know about Chuck Bartowski. She just wanted to comfort him right now.

Chuck couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was so confused. He was so sure that Sarah felt nothing for him before, but now, after this, he wasn't so sure. There she was again, doing the same thing to him. She always did something that left him wondering "maybe she _does_ like me". But he was more careful to judge those gestures now. He had been burned before.

If it was up to him, he'd get up right now, and he'd show her what he meant. He would take her in his arms, and he'd kiss her like she never had been kissed before. Not even by him. He'd kiss her with his eyes closed, and his heart opened.

He'd tell her that what he feels for her is real; that he had never felt this way before, not even with Jill – and that time he really thought he was in love – but what he feels for her is much more; he wanted to say that when he is around her he can't concentrate. He'd tell her that they should give it a go, together; no cover, no bugs, no agendas. Just the two of them.

But he won't say or do these things. He isn't sure how she feels, and putting your heart on the line by revealing feelings is making yourself vulnerable. And vulnerability ends in pain from Chuck's previous experiences with Sarah. Besides, he won't risk blowing whatever they have at this moment.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad," she genuinely said, taking a seat on the ottoman right in front of the armchair he was sitting on.

"You didn't. On the contrary, this is the most thoughtful gift I've ever been given," he said, leaning forward, placing the toys on the ground, and smiling ear to ear.

Her sitting and his leaning put them face to face. There was another moment between them. They locked eyes for seconds without saying a word.

Maybe I should just kiss her, he thought.

It seemed like she read his mind, 'cause she stood up quickly.

"I think we should get back to the living room. People might be getting suspicious; we've disappeared on them. The cocoa must be ready by now," she said fastly.

Sarah knew if she didn't get up at the moment Chuck was going to kiss her. It was just one of those moments when you can tell. And the worst of all, she would let him. She'd kiss him back with all she got. They couldn't. _She_ couldn't.

Chuck felt awkward, and more confused – if possible. He thought they shared a moment there.

"Right, right. We should," he said, getting up himself, and heading for the door.

She grabbed him by the wrist. He looked at her.

"You know, Chuck," she tried.

"Julia seems like a really nice girl. You should go and talk to her some more; you two really seemed to hit it off," she finished uncomfortably and awkwardly, but firmly.

What was she doing? Was she setting him up? He wondered. He couldn't believe, or grasp what was going on. But, nonetheless, there he was; back at square one.

"I can't believe we're here again," he stated disappointed, shaking his head.

He was getting tired, and frustrated with this little dance they seemed to find themselves regularly doing. If this was remotely close to being right, it wasn't supposed to be this hard. It wasn't supposed to be this draining. It was fine. He would accept things as they were.

Sarah understood really well what he was trying to say there. This struggle pained her, but it was what it was. Things, the circumstances haven't changed. She wasn't about to make _another mistake_. If she couldn't be the one for Chuck, she wanted him to have someone who could. Someone who could fully surrender herself to him; someone less like her, someone more like Julia. She wanted him to be happy, even if it didn't include her. That's how much she cared.

Looking down, Chuck responded to her previous statement.

"Yeah, maybe I will," he said.

He looked up straight into her eyes, and smiled. A rather sad smile, but a sweet one as well.

"Thanks again for the present," he said.

"We should go and have some cocoa," he said, putting a brighter smile on his face.

Both left the room. But before they reached the other people, she stopped him again.

"Chuck, I think I'll pass on the cocoa. I'll just go home, it's been a long evening," she said midst a faux smile.

"Ok, if you want to. I'll walk you to your car," he replied.

She looked at the table, and there were Ellie, Awesome, Julia, Morgan and Anna, talking and laughing. Casey had managed to escape the party while they were talking in Chuck's room.

"No, it's okay. I'll let myself out. You should join them," she stated, motioning to the table with her head.

He nodded in agreement. In other times he would insist to see her off, but not tonight. That little fact didn't pass unnoticed by Sarah.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he offered.

"Yes, tomorrow," she replied lamely.

"Ok… goodbye, Sarah," he said, leaving for the table.

She walked towards the other way. She grabbed her coat from the rack next to the door, and slipped it on. Then she retrieved her cookie basket from a nearby table, and opened the door. But before leaving, she turned her head back. Chuck had joined the group; he sat next to Julia, Sarah noted. He was holding a colorful mug, and Julia was filling it with cocoa. They were all laughing, and talking, and looking pretty much happy.

It's for the best, she thought. She felt like smiling, but it didn't come. With that she closed the door behind her, walked to her black Porsche, and went home.

"You can fill the mug to the top. Ellie's cocoa is the best. Come on, don't be shy," he joked, as Julia poured him cocoa.

"Dude, Julia was just telling us this funny anecdote of the day she and her sister got themselves locked in the movie theater's bathroom. A classic tale, I must add," Morgan chimed in.

Ellie and Awesome nodded in agreement.

"Locked in the bathroom?! Really? It sure seems like a funny one," he said chuckling.

"Funny now. Tragic then. You don't want to know," Julia piped in, huge smile on her face.

Morgan was saying something to Anna now. And Awesome and Ellie were involved in innocent PDA. So, Julia and Chuck started talking.

"So, it looks like you and the ex got things back on track, huh?" she asked smiling.

But the minute she let that out, she regret it. So, before he could even answer she added,

"I'm sorry. Was that too invasive? Too personal? I didn't mean to pry. I've been told before that I can be too honest, too blunt at times. It kinda freaks people out. Anyhow, you don't have to answer that," she babbled worriedly.

"No, and no. No on both accounts," he joked smiling.

"I don't mind answering it. No, we're not back together. Actually, it's the far opposite of it. It just reaffirmed that we're friends, and just friends. No romantic future there," he added.

"And as far as honesty goes, I sure could use some," he finished charmingly.

She smiled charmingly back. And they shared a moment. The staring lasted a few seconds, when Chuck broke it.

"You see, I've got this great Rice rare bootleg. Genius stuff. Wanna check it out?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied.

They went to his bedroom, and they just sat there listening to the amazing tunes, commenting on the tracks, sharing wacky concert stories… Everything felt so much more… simpler to Chuck. So less complicated. And he enjoyed that new sensation.

Julia looked at her watch.

"God! Time flew by. I should get going, I have a shift tomorrow morning," she said getting up.

"Ok; I can gift you a lift, or call you a cab if you prefer…" he tried, getting up as well.

"No, it's fine. I drove here," she stated.

"Ok; so, I can walk you to your car," he quickly said.

"I don't want to be an inconvenience," she replied.

"I insist," he firmly said, midst a boyish smile.

"Ok," she said, all smiley.

They left his room. Ellie and Awesome were together on the couch watching tv. Morgan and Anna had already left. They didn't say goodbye to Chuck. Morgan said he would be damned to wreck his friend's chances to get lucky.

Julia said her goodbyes and thank-yous to the couple, and she and Chuck were out the door.

"My car is right there," she said pointing to this fierce, red, vintage '68 Camaro.

They walked up to the car.

"Wow! I'm not a car guy, but this thing is a beauty," Chuck exclaimed.

She smiled. He looked directly at her, armed with the Chuck megawatt smile.

"So, maybe… uh, can I get your number?" he mustered up the courage to ask.

Julia found his nervousness the cutest thing.

"Is this because of me, or because of my car? Now I'm not really sure," she joked.

"Oh, you caught me…" he played along.

They shared a laugh.

"Well, if this answers your question, I've been meaning to ask you this since 'Cannonball'," he added in a more serious tone.

She smiled, suddenly shy and self-conscious. She reached inside her bag, and got a pen. Then she wrote the number in his hand. He smiled.

"I had a great time," he said.

"So did I," she replied.

She took a step forward, leaned, and kissed him on the cheek. He instantly touched the cheek she had just kissed with his hand. The one who didn't have the number on it; he wouldn't risk smudging the precious information.

He could feel his heart racing.

She grabbed her keys in the purse and unlocked the door. He went ahead and opened it for her, she got in, and he closed it for her. She appreciated his gentleman gesture; so, she smiled at him.

She turned on the engine, and before hitting the gas she opened the window, looked at him with a flirtatious smile on her face, and said,

"I'm looking forward to your call, Chuck."

He just smiled brightly in response. After that she went home. Chuck stayed there looking at her car until it was out of sight. He made his way back home with a goofy smile plastered on his face. One that Casey sure wouldn't appreciate. But he felt good… really good. He felt happy.

**A/N: **I hope you liked it, and it wasn't a total let down. I finally managed to wrap Christmas up, thank God! I guess no one won Ellie's cookies basket. Well, I think I'll have to eat them all by myself :)

That's all!

Tootles! (for you **Go-Chuck-Go**) lol


	7. Chapter 7

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 7/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master. I do own Julia, 'though :D

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! You're great. Sorry for the delay in updating, but I've been really busy. Not having fun at the pool, if that's what you're thinking. The weather took a turn for the worst the last few days, anyway. But my graduation ceremony is a couple of weeks from now; so, I have all these things to attend to: buying a dress, deliver invitations, you know, the usual. I thought going thought Law University was hard, but apparently, graduating is worse. I won't bore you with details 'though.

I need to run some errands now, but _had_ to post this. So, less feedback on your reviews. Sorry about that. But a special mention to **nattylovesjordy** (loved your review, the longer the better), **Go-Chuck-Go, ****federaldragon** and **SoContagious**

Also, I hear you guys. Things are not really well right now. But be patient, they'll improve. And the reason why I think it's tougher on Sarah is because she knows she likes Chuck, and that he likes her back. All she had to do was say yes, and they'd be together. But she can't. Chuck, on the other hand, likes Sarah. But thinks she has no interest in him. So, all he can do is try to move on with someone who does like him. Something like that.

This chapter is really long. It's like two chapters in one. See, I'm making up for my delay here… :) Besides, I was kinda afraid if I left off where I was planning to left things off, you guys would throw rocks at me.

**Chapter VII**

Chuck pondered for good 20 minutes whether calling Julia that same night -- to ask her out on a date -- would be obsessive in the stalker kinda way, or boldly sweet in a charming way. After much struggle he went with sweet, and apparently, so did Julia. 'Cause she promptly and happily agreed to go out with him on the following day. And to be quite honest, he was really thrilled with the idea of a _real_ date. No CIA, no NSA, no ear pieces, no bugs, no nothing. Just two people going out to enjoy themselves, and learn about one another. He wouldn't complain if the evening involved some making out, too.

So, "the following day" turned into today. Chuck sat on the break-room area's couch waiting for Casey and Sarah. The store wasn't open yet. Casey had phoned Chuck that morning informing him of their meeting, which would occur at the Buy More, half an hour before opening. And here he was.

Casey and Sarah arrived at the same moment, both adorning their uniforms.

"Good morning to you, Casey," Chuck enthusiastically greeted him, smiling ear to ear.

"Great morning, isn't it Sarah?" he added, still in a good mood.

They stopped near the coffee table. Casey threw some files he was carrying on it, while both agents looked down at him oddly.

"What?! Can't a guy be in a good mood?" he asked.

"If you get like this after just listening to some sappy songs, and getting her to go out with you. Kinda desperate to call on the same day, by the way, don't you think? I wonder how you will act like when you actually get into her pants," Casey said, with a smirk on his face.

"What?!" he blurted out, getting up quickly.

Sarah was caught off guard by her partner's statement. She looked from him to Chuck a couple of times. She knew this would happen, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"You were listening to us?! How could you do this, Casey?! That is a total violation of my privacy…" he went on angrily, but was cut by the male agent.

"Yeah, yeah… We have bugs in your room for your protection; we violate your trust, privacy, whatever. We've already had this argument, and I didn't enjoy then. What makes you think I do enjoy now? The bugs are there, and they'll stay there. Get over it, and stop whining! Now, can we get to work?" Casey said firmly.

Sarah was watching the exchange between the two men, but the thing, the fact that didn't leave her mind was Chuck and Julia.

"I can't believe you people!" he said in defeat, launching himself back onto the couch, and developing a pout.

Sarah took a seat on the other end of the couch, and Casey chose to remain standing. She took the opportunity to steal a glance at Chuck, who was seating at her left; he was still pouting, but no other tells. Casey went ahead and turned on the tv. The satellite connection kicked in after a few touches on the screen, showing the agents' superiors.

"Your next mission is Simon Fuller. A 42 year old, British, black market trader. He sells or trades anything, from information, to weapons, to valuables, for the highest bid. He has no affiliations, nor loyalty towards anything; except money, of course. A few months ago he stole a very important artifact from the United States government, and vanished from the face of the Earth," the General reported.

"But recent intelligence tells us that Fuller just arrived in LA. We believe he's here to sell the artifact. That's where you come in. We received, from a very reliable source, the address of the house he's staying in. We need you to break in, and do a brief recon of the place. He has a meeting today at 8 pm, that'll be the best time to infiltrate the residence," the CIA director added.

"Wait. 8 pm? Do I have to go in this mission, too? 'Cause this seems like an agent job, you know, out in the field. And…, uh, I sorta have plans. Very important plans…" he tried nervously.

Sarah looked at him briefly. He was looking at the screen, and didn't catch that.

"We are aware you have a date, Chuck," the General said.

Sarah flinched on her seat. She looked uncomfortable.

"How do you… Never mind," Chuck let out frustrated.

"What about you and agent Walker? I thought you two were back with your boyfriend/girlfriend cover? What happened there?" the woman insisted on the third degree interrogation.

Chuck felt awkward. Sarah felt awkward. And the superiors didn't miss that.

"It's complicated," Chuck mumbled fastly.

"Is there something we need to know, agent Walker?" the CIA director pressed.

"No, sir," she replied firmly, straightening her posture.

"She has nothing to do with this. It's my fault, ok? I'm the one who needs a real dating life," he said losing his patience.

Why did he have to come to my rescue? Sarah thought. I don't need to be rescued. I can take care of myself. I don't need no Knight in Shining Armor, she thought angrily. She would have to have a little chat with him later.

"Can we move on, please?" Chuck asked.

The superiors seemed to buy the story.

"Fine, but how are we on the girl investigation, Major Casey? Is she a suspect?" she asked in hispid tone.

"You are investigating, Julia? What the…," he tried again outraged, but was cut.

"No. The girl is apparently clean. Not even a parking ticket," he promptly replied, grabbing a file from the coffee table.

Chuck smiled proudly. A smile that said "See! She's great!" Sarah picked up on that, and didn't feel good. Casey picked up on that, and gave Chuck in return a look of disdain; but he carried on, opening the file and reading from it,

"Doctor; born and raised in New York; daughter of a cardiologist, and an English Lit college professor…," he added, but was abruptly cut by Chuck.

"Hey, hey! Stop that! I want to find out those things by myself. Not from a NSA file, or whatever that is. Can't you leave this debrief for when I'm not here?" he pleaded.

The General nodded; Casey closed the file, and threw it back on the coffee table.

"So, will I be excused from the thing, uh, from the recon mission?" he asked expectantly.

Sarah was also expectantly. Casey couldn't care less.

"I don't see why not. It's only a recon mission, next time you're in 'though. But we do need you to go through the file I sent Major Casey, and see if you get a flash," the woman replied.

Sarah seemed disappointed. Maybe, deep down, she wanted Chuck and Julia's date not to go on. Casey caught another file from the coffee table, and threw at Chuck. Chuck caught it spastically.

"Homework!" the male agent said.

"I expect feedback before we go to the mission, Casanova," he sarcastically added.

Chuck mouthed "Ha, ha, ha…" to Casey.

The rest of the briefing went well. Everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to do.

Casey head out of the room first when it was over. Chuck and Sarah were doing the same when she stopped him, looking determined, and somehow menacing. Which was a tough look to pull when you're dressed like Heidi.

"I…," she started.

She was about to chew his liver out for that little stunt he pulled in front of her superior. He sure must think that she needs to be rescued, that she's this damsel in distress longing for a knight in shining armor. But, as she was replaying these arguments in her head, she realized how irrational she was being. She wouldn't rip his head off because of her own inner issues.

He looked puzzled.

"I just wanted to say good luck on your date tonight," she corrected herself, midst a half-smile.

He got the impression that wasn't exactly what she was going to say. But he let it slide.

"Thanks, I took your advice yesterday and went talking to her," he said politely.

"Well, that's great. I have to go to Wienerlicious now; people must be getting here for work. And I have to open up there, as well," she said lamely.

"Talk to you later," she added, heading for the door.

She was supporting this whole idea of him dating another girl. But she wasn't exactly at the place of seating down and let him talk to her about all the little details of his amazing encounter with Julia. That was a little too much for her to handle, at least for now.

He found her beat a retreat quite odd, but he didn't delve on that.

* * *

Their date went by, and it couldn't have been any better. Chuck went with the classic movie and dinner combo. They caught _Sweeney Todd _on the big screen, and after they went to this intimate and cozy Italian restaurant. One that Chuck had discovered by accident a couple of years ago, and had loved since. This place's lasagna was to Chuck what sizzling shrimps were to his pal Morgan. That's how much he enjoyed.

The evening went on without interferences. Chuck likes to think that the warning he gave to Casey -- when he dropped by his place to say he had no flashes going through the file – had something to do with it. But he knew there was no way in hell he could ever intimidate the agent. There were no interferences simply because nothing major – nor minor – happened to create such.

At dinner they talked a lot. She shared everything he cared to ask about. He liked that novelty. For someone who practically begged another girl to just tell him her middle name, he found it quite refreshing that Julia had no problem telling him not only her middle name, but where she was born, where she grew up, where she went to school – even throwing a couple of high school embarrassing moments as bonus – how many siblings she had, who her parents were, what they did, you know, all these personal stuff that people usually talk about when they're on the first stages of getting to know each other.

If only another certain person was this open. If only another certain blonde felt slightest this inclined to let him in, he wondered. But that was the past, and Julia was there willing to let herself go with him. He could have been a fool, but he wasn't as big as a fool to pass on that opportunity.

He also answered everything she asked honestly. He felt bad for having to keep his _other job_ a secret. He even thought about Sarah at that moment with a sentiment of empathy. In the end he thought it was better to face this as omitting rather than lying.

The time came when their date reached its end. Everything was so nice that neither really felt the hours passing by. Chuck didn't know how to explain, but he felt at easy with Julia. He didn't feel as intimidated as when he was in the company of Sarah. The blonde woman always managed to leave him at this certain state, you know, butterflies in his stomach every time she entered the room, sweaty palms every time any part of her skin slightly brushed any part of his, a rush of blood to the head every time she spoke his name… Wait, was that a bad thing? He thought to himself. Plus, Julia was pretty straight forward; she told like it was. And this games-free zone was very appealing to Chuck. Okay, I have got to stop comparing Julia to Sarah. Otherwise this will never work. His conscious projected.

They reached her building's front steps. They didn't know exactly when it happened, but they were holding hands. It felt natural. But it was time to say goodbye.

"So, here we are," she said smiling.

"Oh, nice digs," he said without thinking, looking up at the building.

He mentally slapped himself. Who said "digs" nowadays? He wondered. He had _never_ used this word before in his life, but he chose _this _particular moment to start.

She laughed out loud. He got a little self conscious, but she saw this and gave his hand a little reassurance squeeze. He relaxed immediately.

"Thanks," she said flirtatiously, looking directly into his eyes.

He saw the moment. That was the perfect moment for a kiss. He briefly wavered whether he should go for it, or not. He looked into her bright blue eyes and saw the answer. He could tell that she really wanted to kiss him, too. So, he went for it.

It wasn't like a classic Hollywood movie kiss, in which the guy perfectly took the girl in his arms, kissed the sense out of her, and concluded the master piece with a dip. It started slow, both mouths getting used one with the other. Suddenly the rhythm picked up, and hands met body and hair. It didn't last long, but it took their breaths away. It was real.

After breaking apart, both took a few seconds to get re-situated.

"So, do you want to come up?" she asked smiling.

There was no point denying. Julia knew she liked Chuck. She had the best time on their date; actually, she couldn't remember a date when she felt this comfortable. She definitely could see a future for the two of them. And that kiss, well, it showed that a very important piece of the dating puzzle was there: chemistry.

"Sure," he promptly answered, megawatt smile on his face.

God! I love his smile! She thought. But her conscious came back from its quick gushing trip.

"I must warn you, 'though; I don't sleep with guys on the first date," she put honestly.

He was really into her honesty. Even 'though, in this case, meant he wouldn't be getting lucky tonight.

"Duly noted," he joked smiling.

She smiled back.

"I'm fine with that, really," he added.

They were lying in her couch making out. Things were getting intense, and she started to take his shirt off.

"I thought… you said… you didn't sleep… with guys… on the first date," he said in between kisses.

"Well… I guess… they're right," she replied, and then she stopped kissing him.

"There _is_ a first time for everything," she added, looking directly at him.

She took him by the hand, and led him to her bedroom. The door was closed behind them. At that moment, Chuck was thankful that they weren't at his room, where Casey would hear their every word. Not that he was planning all talking that much.

* * *

Throughout the following week, Julia became a frequent figure at Chuck's work, and Chuck's home. They did something together every day. Even if it was just a quick stop between shifts to have some coffee. After all, both had full-time jobs. Chuck had _two_ of them. Oh, and Julia had vanilla frappuccinos, something he already knew when they first sat together for coffee.

In one of those days, Sarah was wrapping up another day of work at Wienerlicious. She couldn't wait to get home after a whole day of frying corndogs, and watching wieners revolve. She needed a hot, long shower to unwind. The minute she walked out of the store she saw them: Chuck and Julia – and oddly Casey. They were just standing there, talking near her car. Why would they be hanging around _my_ car to talk? She wondered, locking the door.

She would give an arm and a leg not to go there. But what would she do? Take a walk around the block? Walk home and leave her car there? Any scenario she could picture they'd wound up spotting her making an escape. It was best to face the music. And with that she went towards the trio.

"I had it restored after I bought it," Sarah overhead Julia saying.

"Are the seats original?" Casey asked, picking inside the window.

They noticed Sarah's presence. And she noticed that they weren't hanging near her car, they were hanging around _Julia's_ car. Which, _of course_, had to be parked next to hers.

"Hey, Sarah," Chuck said smiling.

"Hey," she replied, with a half-smile.

Julia did a quick, but noticeable to Sarah, once over at the blonde. Sarah looked down quickly herself, and she couldn't believe she was standing in front of the brunette in that ridiculous uniform. At least she was not very glamorous in scrubs herself, although Sarah had to admit that she rather be in scrubs than the outfit she was currently adorning.

"Hi, Sarah. Nice to see you again," Julia stated with a polite smile.

"You too," Sarah replied, matching the other woman's smile.

Casey was already getting restless with the obvious tense exchange. He was more interested in Julia's amazing car. After all, he was a car guy at heart.

"So, are the seats original?" the agent repeated the question.

Julia came out of the previous interaction.

"Yes, they are. But I had them replace the old fabric with this real black leather. It smells amazing!" she answered enthusiastically.

"Your car is really nice," Sarah piped in.

"Yeah, some go for the obvious modern machines, like the owner of this Porsche here; but others enjoy the real cars, the real machines, you know, like this baby over here," Casey said pointing at the Camaro, obviously bating Sarah.

Sarah looked briefly at Casey with a smirk on her face. Chuck, on the other hand, was getting really uncomfortable. He looked directly into Sarah's eyes. Julia picked up on that, and felt weird.

"This conversation is really interesting, but we have to go. Shoot! I forgot my rented tux at Buy More," he said.

Sarah and Casey looked puzzled.

"We're attending the New Year's Eve Ball that Jules and Ellie's hospital is throwing tomorrow. A double date kind of thing," he added awkwardly.

Sarah felt terrible hearing that. The use of the nickname didn't help either. It was intimate; they were getting intimate. And that bothered her. It shouldn't, but it did. Chuck looked at her, and again, Julia noticed their looks exchange. She didn't like it.

"Well, I hope you two have fun," she managed to say.

"Thanks. See you guys later," Julia replied.

And off the couple went through the parking lot towards the store. Sarah watched them go, and after a few steps they held hands. That pretty much killed Sarah inside. She had been punched in the stomach many times before, occupational hazard, but this time she lost her breath like never before.

Casey cleared his throat to get the woman's attention. She responded by looking at him. Her face was not amicable; she didn't enjoy being the target of his earlier sarcastic remarks. She noticed the man had huge dark circles beneath his eyes.

"You look terrible," she stated harshly.

"Oh, you'll make me blush…" he teased.

She rolled her eyes.

"The lovebirds kept me up last night," he said.

"All that screaming…" he baited her.

Her eyes grew big like saucers. She felt quizzy and couldn't wait to leave there.

Without saying a word she got into her car and drove off. Casey said sarcastically to himself,

"Was it something I said?"

* * *

That same night Chuck and Julia were fooling around in his bed. They broke apart for air.

"I'm going to the kitchen to grab a soda. Want something?" he asked, getting up and smiling.

"Water, please," she replied grinning.

"Be right back," he said, leaving the room.

Julia rolled on his bed, and noticed a Lego construction on his nightstand. She picked it up, and started looking at it. Chuck arrived back.

"Here it goes," he said, handing her a bottle of water.

"Thank you," she replied, grabbing the bottle and placing it on the nightstand.

"So, feeling a little nostalgic, huh?" she added, showing him the Lego thing.

"Oh, that. No, no, uh, it's more like a private thing," he said awkwardly, holding his soda.

The minute the sentence was out of his mouth he knew it sounded wrong. He knew it sounded more like "back off, none of your business". And the look on Julia's face proved his theory. It was not like he could say "Oh, that's just something really special that Sarah, my ex-girlfriend, gave to me". So, he _adjusted_ the truth a little.

"That's not what I meant. It's just like a private joke," he corrected laughing.

She bought it, and smiled back. But somehow she knew that wasn't exactly the _whole_ truth.

* * *

23:59:50. It was almost New Year; 2008 was coming. Chuck, Julia, Ellie and Awesome, were all dressed up enjoying the hospital's fancy New Year Eve's Ball. They were looking at this huge screen that was showing the countdown.

People were counting down in unison. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year, the DJ's voice came from the microphone. Chuck turned around to Julia and kissed her. Kissed her with all he got. Next to them Ellie and Awesome were doing the same. Right after the kiss was finished she said,

"Happy New Year, honey," smiling ear to ear.

Chuck was happy. He felt happy… enough.

"Happy New Year," he replied.

But at that moment his mind traveled to Sarah. What was she doing? Was she alone? He didn't know the answer to those questions. But what he started to wonder was: would there ever be a time when he _didn't_ think about her? 'Cause there he was, with a beautiful woman by his side, someone whom he really liked, someone whom he could love; and still the blonde woman hijacked his mind.

Between saying his Happy New Years, shaking hands, and distributing kisses on cheeks; those thoughts filled Chuck's mind.

**TBC**

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I believe the cracks and doubts are starting to make an appearence in Chuck and Jules' relationship. Well, let's wait and see what my little head comes up with next :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 8/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master. I do own Julia, 'though :D

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews! And, again, sorry for taking so long to update. Things are crazy hectic right now. I'm not kidding or making excuses here. I'm bending backwards to write this, let's just say that my late nights are becoming really late nights. Hopefully with graduation passing this week I'll be freer, well, when the second stage of the Bar exam pass I'll really have all the time in my hands, and things will flow faster. The good news is I learned last week that I passed the first stage; so, I'm good to go to the second one. The bad is it'll only happen January 27th, and until then I pretty much have my plate full with all the studying. I'm going to crack one of these days, I'll tell you. So, you guys have to be patient with me, ok?

**Saucy-Duck**, thanks for the constructive criticism. I re-read the part you were talking about, but I didn't find it ooc for Chuck. However, being the one who wrote it I'm biased; so, you're probably right. About Julia, what can I say? The gal really is squeaky clean :)

**Kev525**, I know it isn't really satisfying for C/S fans seeing Chuck sleeping with Julia. But, come on! The guy deserves a little sugar, huh? I mean, when was the last time he got a little action? Jill, perhaps? Anyhow, it's been waaay too long. But I promise it will be 10 times better when I finally put Chuck in bed with good ol' Sarah. Hang tight :D

**Soccergirl004**, thanks for the kind words. And you're totally entitled to keep your Julia hatred. Now, about the move to a third world country, hell, maybe she can come to mine lol But don't put your dollars on it :)

**Nattylovesjordy**, flattering will get you anywhere, my friend. No, seriously, you're far too kind to me. I'm afraid you're spoiling me. Anyway, this update is especially dedicated to you. See, now you don't have to throw anything at me (glad to know you wouldn't subject me to rocks, by the way lol).

**Miks**, thanks for the review. Yeah, Sarah is always on Chuck's mind, like on that Elvis song. Ain't it sweet? Don't worry, Jules' days are numbered :D

**Gaaddict67**, yeah, that crack was funny. I really enjoy writing Casey, we share snarky thoughts.

**Go-Chuck-Go**, thanks for the "Counselor", but I'm not one… yet. With God's help – and lots of studying – I'll get there after the second stage of the Bar exam. Pray for me, ok? lol But thanks for the review, and about the grammar mistakes, that's what hurrying and half-ass text checking will do to you. If you can PM me pointing them out I'll correct asap. Thanks :)

**SoContagious**, it really is remarkable how you truly get what I'm trying to portray. I just, I don't have words. And it isn't easy to leave me out of words lol. Anyhow, I'm really glad that you're enjoying the fic. And I love when people quote me to me, it's amazing to know what parts of the chapter you specifically liked best. I gotta say that I enjoyed writing that paragraph as well, it came out nice.

**S****usann**, welcome! And thanks for the review. I hope you keep coming back. Read all 7 in one sitting, huh? I tend to do that too when I come across a good fic. I'm glad you like my writing style, I aim to please lol. Nice to read you like Julia, she's a great girl. If only there was no Sarah. But there is a Sarah, however she is sitting on her hands. For now… There lies the rub, I believe.

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And again is a longer one, to make up for my future update delay, which I'm already foreseeing it will happen :D

**Chapter VIII**

It was Sunday. In the middle of the afternoon, Chuck found himself lying on his back in bed. Alone. Julia was working. He had this little Lego construction – a well-constructed building, which he spent a couple of hours working on – on top of his belly. He kept staring at the thing, tracing the little blocks with his index fingertip. He was mesmerized by the object.

But what were really going through his mind, were the thoughts that came to plague him on New Year's Eve. He wanted to know why Sarah kept coming back into his head. Why he couldn't shake this woman off? He was with someone else; someone who was really great, and funny, and charming, gorgeous, and who actually liked him back. He was starting to get mad at himself for not being able to successfully remove the blonde's trace off his mind… and his heart. He was actually starting to get mad at Sarah herself, for not being as easy to forget as he'd like.

Yes, it was irrational. He was well aware of that. But right now he wasn't caring so much about rationality or fairness. He was frustrated and confused, and not as happy as before. Why was he clinging so hard to someone that he had already lost; actually, someone whom he never really had? Sarah wasn't even an option; so, why did he fell this way? I think too much, that's my problem; he thought.

As he was lost in thoughts, Ellie entered his room.

"So, did you ask Julia if she wanted to go with you to our cousin's wedding?" she asked, standing next to his bed.

He came out of his own mind, and looked at her.

"Yes; she said she'd love to go," he replied absently.

"Great, 'cause I RSVP'd for the four of us," she added.

"I don't know why we're going to this thing. She's a distant, distant cousin. We don't even know her that well, all I can remember is that she was a pain when a child," he whined.

"Believe me; I didn't want to go either. But look at it like a chance for a fun vacation, and a romantic getaway. Since the wedding is this whole weekend thing in San Francisco, we can take the opportunity to get to know the grounds," she said, smiling enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it will be a hoot," he said ironically, absently staring at the Lego building again.

Ellie directed her eyes to where his were, and landed on the Lego construction on his belly. She knew something was up with her brother. He wasn't usually cranky like this; he was sure going through some sort of bad mood.

She sat on his bed, and looked at him. He was still looking at the Lego.

"I noticed the Lego cases when I stopped by your room the other day," she said softly.

He didn't move or said anything. She continued.

"I'm taking they were a Christmas gift… from Sarah," she said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement.

She studied his features. It took a few seconds, but he finally said something.

"Yeah. She gave them to me… At our Christmas party," he said, finally looking up at his seated sister.

Ellie made herself comfortable by lying in bed next to him. Both looked at the ceiling.

"That is a very special present," she stated softly.

"I know," he replied in the same tone.

"I figure you told her, you know, about that Christmas," she said, looking to her side at him.

He simply nodded.

She looked up the ceiling again.

"You never told anyone that," she added.

"I know," he replied identically as before.

"Not even Morgan," she said softly.

He knew that as well. But didn't feel like repeating himself.

"I mentioned, well, I let it out once -- in between subjects – and, apparently she was really listening to me. She remembered…" he stated weakly.

There was a moment of silence. Ellie broke it.

"I know you don't like to talk about this. But I feel like it's my obligation as your sister. So; I'm just going to say this, and leave you to think about it, ok?" she rhetorically asked.

"A person who has no feelings for another does not give this type of present. When someone gives you a gift as special and meaningful as this, it's really supposed to mean something. I don't know why you and Sarah broke up…" she stated firmly.

He moved a bit at his side; she took the hint.

"…and I'm fine that you don't want to talk about it, but this girl likes you, Chuck. I saw it then, and guess what? I still see it now. I know that you're with Jules now, and that's great. That is if you really like her. 'Cause if you think that you don't, or that you're still into Sarah, it's not too late, you know. It's not too late to go after what you really want," she added.

"So; the real question is 'who do you really want, Chuck'?" she asked, getting up.

"It's only up to you to figure out," she finished, with a knowing look on her face.

With that Chuck watched Ellie leave his room.

What she said made a bit of sense, he had to admit. Except for the part of Sarah liking him for sure. There was nothing sure about that. But now, at least, he was a tad open to the possibility. There were signs before, he just didn't trust them. Could Sarah be that good of an actress? He wondered. This hot and cold routine that she played drained him. These doubts tormented him.

He was abruptly taken away from his thoughts when Casey's face pressed up against his bedroom window startled the hell out of him. The agent's face was beyond menacing. Chuck got up and opened the window.

"You're up tonight, Bartowski," he said sternly.

"Fuller is having a party tonight at his place. Our intel confirms that it'll be a cover to deliver the stolen artifact to its buyer, who'll probably attend as a guest. A high player like this person is on the Intersect for sure; so, your job will be going to the party and looking at as many people as possible to see if you get a flash. If you do, agent Walker and I will try to intercept the piece," he added in serious tone.

"What is my cover?" he asked, slightly bored.

"You will go as agent Walker's date. Same alias as always. I'll also be attending, but we don't know each other. Got it?" Casey replied.

"Fine. What time?" he asked in the same tone as before.

"Agent Walker will pick you up here at 9 pm. Formal wear," he answered, and turned to leave.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I can't. I have a date tonight. Jules and I are going to a concert," he said.

"Cancel," the agent simply put, turning back.

"I can't. What will I say? Can't go on our date tonight, honey. I have to go to a party with my ex. I hope that's alright with you," he said sarcastically.

"Lie," the agent said already losing his patience.

On that note Casey took off, leaving a defeated Chuck behind.

He got his iPhone from the nightstand, and called her. It was better to do this quickly, you know, like ripping up a band aid. He heard the first phone ringing tone, and his heart raced. He put the available hand inside his pocket. On the third ring she picked up.

"Hi, honey," she greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey!" he replied, trying to sound cheery.

"To what do I owe the honor of your call, mister?" she asked joking.

"Are you busy?" he asked.

"No, I'm taking a coffee break actually. You won't believe the funny – and yet disturbing -- case I was working on a couple of minutes ago. I'll tell you all about it tonight on the way to the concert. But here's a teaser: it involves a carrot," she whispered the last part, even 'though no one was around, and muffled a laugh.

"Yeah, speaking of which, uh… I'm actually calling you because it turns out I'm…" he tried to come up with a good lie, uh, excuse.

"… on duty at the Nerd Herd after hours. I had completed spaced out. I'm sorry," he said, closing his eyes.

"Oh, you were so excited to go," she said disappointed.

"Can't you ask another Nerd to cover for you?" she asked hopeful.

"No they…" he tried once again to find an out.

He was pacing around his bedroom; he didn't enjoy this pressure.

"… they also have dates tonight," he finished lamely.

"Lester and Jeff have dates?!" she asked incredulously.

Damn it! He forgot that he had told her all about the two comic characters, and that she had actually met the couple of Bozos. No wonder she doubted this.

"Tell me about it! I guess we will no longer hastily say that miracles don't happen, right?" he managed to joke midst a faux chuckle, covering his face with his hand.

"I'll say," she said grinning.

"I'm so sorry that you can't come," she added in a sad tone.

"Me, too" he added genuinely.

"Well, we'll do this another time. It's ok," she said.

"Thanks for understanding," he said, sitting in his bed.

"I'll call you tomorrow. Bye," she chimed in.

"Bye, Jules" he replied.

He put the cell in his jeans' pocket, and let his upper body collapse on the bed. He hated lying. At that moment he wondered if this would always be his life if he stayed with Julia, or any other woman he met from now on really. He would always have to lie. Sarah was right, he thought. It's hard to have a real relationship in this line of work. Just the idea of having to lie daily to his future wife – whoever she will be – sickened him.

9 pm came faster than Chuck had imagined. There he was, dressed in his black suit, white dress shirt and silver tie. Looking sharp, and waiting for his date. He thanked God that Ellie and Awesome decided to go out to catch a movie at the theater, and grab something to eat afterwards. Otherwise it would be hard to explain why he was going out all dressed-up with Sarah instead of Julia.

His cell rang.

"Hi, Sarah," he said.

"Hey, I'm waiting outside. Are you ready?" she asked coldly.

Chuck sensed a bit of hostility in her tone, but let it slide.

"Yes. I'm coming out," he replied, turning the cell off.

He put it on his suit jacket's inside pocket, and went to her car.

Sarah saw Chuck coming to her car. She was wearing this beautiful, rich purple gown. Her hair was all up creating this beautiful do. She was mad at him. She didn't have the right to be, but when Casey accidentally let it slip that Chuck and Julia were sleeping together she was instantly jealous. Plus, it didn't help that she spent New Year's Eve all alone in bed at her hotel room, thinking of Chuck at midnight kissing his lovely new girlfriend. As irrational as it was, she was mad at him. But she would try her best to not let it show.

Chuck entered the vehicle. She started the car, and went towards the party.

"Hi, again," he grinned, fasting his seatbelt.

"How are you?" he asked politely, looking at her.

"Fine," she replied absently, not taking her eyes from the road.

Chuck had a puzzled look on his face. He didn't get why she was acting all weird.

You can't do this! You have to do better than this. Just say or do something nice, she thought.

"I'm great, actually. And how are you?" she corrected herself looking briefly to the passenger seat, giving him her best fake bright smile.

"I'm good," he replied confused.

Hot and cold, hot and cold; he thought.

The twenty minutes ride felt like an hour at least. It was awkward, and both were very happy to arrive.

They entered the party with linked arms. After all they were a couple. Tonight, at least, they were.

"Let's mingle a bit to see if you get a flash," she said.

They started to go through the crowd of elegant people. Chuck studied every face that passed by, no flashes yet. They spotted Casey sitting on the bar; so, they made their way there and sat one stool apart from him.

Sarah discretely gave Casey a 'we're here' nod, and the man went to do a little ground recon.

"Can I get you two something?" the bartender asked politely.

"Yes; a martini. Shaken, not stirred, mate," Chuck said in his best fake British accent.

Sarah shot Chuck an incredulous look. The bartender looked at her, and she shook her head to say 'no'. He turned around to fix Chuck's drink.

"What are you doing?" she asked whispering.

"Carmichael fancies being British this brilliant evening," he whispered back with a smirk, keeping the accent.

"Well, tell him to cut it out. It sounds fake," she said sternly.

"Here it is, sir. Enjoy," the bartender said, giving him the drink.

"Lovely, mate," he said taking a sip, and looking at Sarah obviously baiting her.

"Cheerio," he added, as both left the bar.

Sarah rolled her eyes, and let it go.

They continued mingling, and she spotted Fuller talking to a guy.

"There's Fuller," she discretely showed Chuck.

"No flashes," he said, taking another sip of his drink.

He made a face. Sarah noticed.

"Why do you drink it if you don't like it?" she asked.

"Remaining in-character, love," he replied.

Sarah saw Fuller making a discrete exit.

"Fuller is heading out; I'll follow him and check. You stay here, and see if you get any flashes. If anything happens you're wearing the ear piece; so, call Casey," she said before leaving.

"Sure," he replied, letting a bit of his drink spill on his shiny black shoes.

"Bollocks," he said to himself.

"Casey, I'm going after Fuller. I'll keep you posted, and you keep an eye on Chuck," she said over the com, heading to the glass door.

"Roger that," he replied.

Sarah went out the door, and saw Fuller getting in the guest house. There were two security guards at the door. She made her way there quickly.

"Oh, is Simon in there? He told me to meet him here for, you know," she said in her best girly voice, midst a big smile.

"I don't think so. You turn back, and he'll meet you later," one of the men said gruffly.

"You can check with him, if you need," she added.

But before the man could open the door, she clocked him. The other was preparing to attack her, but she kicked him in the stomach. Both were on the floor, so; with two other punches they were unconscious.

She entered the room, and Fuller was going through his safe. He pointed a gun at her.

"Wait, wait. Please don't shoot. We met at Winston's last week; you told me to come to your party. Sarah… Sarah Walker," she improvised.

He didn't remember her, but he went to so many clubs. Met so many women, drank so many drinks, that it was possible. Well, it was likely.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't put the name on the face," he said, lowering his weapon.

She came closer slowly. Really close.

"This isn't the best time, Sarah," he said, escorting her back to the door.

"But you said we would pick up from where we left of, babe" she said really close to his ear, biting his earlobe.

The man was beginning to cave. Come on! A woman like that, no one could blame him. He felt her up, and kissed her mouth. She took the opportunity to knee him really strongly on his private parts. He bent down, and she punched him twice. He fell unconscious.

Chuck walked through the crowd; he went near the glass and saw Sarah entering the guest house. He continued to walk, but no flashes.

Back at the guest house, Sarah looked into the safe. There was money, some documents, many different passports, and among these items was this wooden box. It was the size of a hand. Sarah grabbed it and opened. Inside there was this heavy metal looking sphere. She figured this was it. Chuck would have to take a look at it to confirm.

"Casey, I believe I got the artifact. Chuck has to confirm. I took down two of Fuller's security men; and Fuller himself. I'll go find Chuck, you come here to the guest house and take Fuller," she said over the com.

"I took down the other two. I think we're clear. I'm heading your way now," he replied.

Chuck was getting restless. What was Sarah doing all this time in the guest house with Fuller by herself? Not so pleasant thoughts came rushing through his mind. He decided to go over there. He'd be discrete.

Sarah was leaving the guest house, and saw Chuck coming her way. They reached one another.

"Great. You're here. You need to take a look at this piece, and see if you get a flash," she said, holding the box.

Chuck couldn't care less about the box, the artifact, whatever. He studied Sarah's face, and noticed that her lipstick was a bit smeared. He felt his blood boil, and his heart race.

"What were you doing in there with Fuller?" he asked, trying to maintain his calm.

"What? You need to look at this, Chuck," she stated, opening the box.

"I won't look at anything before you answer me. Were you or were you not inside that house…," he said in high tone, trying to come up with a word for this.

"… being with that man?" he finished agitated.

"First of all, keep your voice down! People may hear us. Second, it's none of your business! Third, who are you to say anything when you're clearly being with a woman you met less than two weeks ago?!" she piped in, matching his tone.

"For someone who isn't interested in me, you're sure keeping a really close track on my dating history," he stated looking straight into her eyes, their faces inches apart.

She broke down eye contact.

"We don't have time for this! Just look into the damn box," she ordered, handing him the box.

"Well, we'll have to make time, then. 'Cause I can't take this anymore! I'm a little confused here, one time you say we have no future, the other you kiss me; one time you are all sweet to me, the other you treat me like crap; one time you say this – us -- never felt like a job to you, the other you say it's just a job; one time you practically throw another woman at me, the other you act all jealous…" he rambled fastly.

"Which one is it, Sarah?! Do you like me or not?! 'Cause I'm starting to get the impression that you do. So, tell me now, honestly, do you have feelings for me?" he asked.

"Chuck," she tried.

"I promise this is the last time I'll ever…"

But before he could finish the sentence the door of the guest house opened. Fuller had woken up. He aimed his gun and shot. Chuck and Sarah were side by side, both turned around when they heard the door being opened.

The bullet hit his belly hard, and he fell to the ground with the box. The thing opened and the sphere rolled out of it. Sarah immediately reached for the small gun that was tied to her leg. But Fuller was aiming at her already. She had no chance. Before he could pull the trigger again, he got hit twice in the chest. Sarah looked behind, and there was Casey.

She looked down at Chuck, and kneeled beside him. His white dress shirt had a massive red stain on it. Blood. She knew the stuff pretty well after many years at this particular job. She was shaking. She never found herself shaking before. Casey passed by them in a hurry, and went to check if the man was really dead.

Sarah put her unsteady hands over the wound, applying pressure. She looked at his face for the first time, and felt like crying; but didn't.

"It'll be alright. Everything will be alright. We'll get you to a hospital," she said, even her voice was shaken.

"I got a flash of the ball when we fell down together. This is it," he said, breathing heavily.

"Don't worry about that now. Don't say anything," she stated.

"I guess it's a lot harder when you're not wearing a vest, huh?" he joked, laughing a little and coughing after.

His eyes were closing. Casey came over, Fuller was dead.

"Hey, Chuck! Chuck! I need you to stay with me," she pleaded, trying to get his attention.

"We have to take him to a hospital now," Casey said.

"I do," she finally managed to say softly to Chuck.

He lost conscious completely.

Sarah checked his pulse, and was relieved to discover a strong rhythm.

"He's fine," she said enthusiastically.

Casey took the man on his arms, and both agents headed for the SUV. He put Chuck on the back seat, and Sarah sat with him. His head propped on her legs. During the whole drive to the hospital, Sarah kept running her fingers through his curly, messy hair.

**A/N:** Tense, huh? Come on, you guys can't blame me for that! It was bound to happen sooner than later. I'm surprised Chuck still hasn't got hurt on the actual show. A civilian working as an agent, facing all these dangerous situations… it's a matter of time. Plus, this little incident will bring good things (but not clichés – I hate those, and I try to avoid them as much as possible). Just wait and see. Tootles lol


	9. Chapter 9

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 9/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master. I do own Julia, 'though :D

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: HI! It's been too long, guys (and girls)! Let's not cry over spilled milk, the new chapter is here. Thanks for all the reviews, and wishes of luck. Now the exam is done; all I have to do is wait and see if I made the cut.

**nattylovesjordy**, I'm awfully sorry I made you cry; but I hope it was a good cry. Well, I guess we'll have to wait and see if the lie will come to bite Chuck in the ass. I haven't decided it yet. Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

**GaldalfTheFunky**, welcome! Nice of you to leave a review. Anyhow, I really meant to write "She had no CHANCE", like she had no chance to escape the shot. She wouldn't be able to shoot at Fuller before he would shoot at her. About the preposition you're right; I shouldn't have started a sentence with one. If it wasn't such a pain to correct I would lol Thanks for the kind words; I try my best to keep the story in-character. I've said this before, but I hate stories in which the characters say stuff that they would never say on the real show. And you pointed out one of the hardest things I struggle with while writing fics: not give it all away in two chapters. All I want to do is put these crazy kids together, but I have to contain myself. It's really hard :D

**Saucy-Duck**, all I can say right now is that your questions will be answered.

**gaaddict67, **glad you enjoyed the British accent! I had fun writing that passage, and – on a personal note – I'm a sucker for a British accent; so, I decided to squeeze that in :)

**AlwaysHoldinOn**, welcome back! Glad you're enjoying the fic!

**kev525, **I hope this chapter continues to not disappoint you. And if Chuck heard Sarah or not we'll find out… eventually :D

**Moe32, **thanks for dropping a review. It's always appreciated. I'm glad that you're enjoying the characterizations; I love to write Sarah, maybe that's why she stands out.

**lanmwolf**thanks for the review. And for the nice words; you're far too kind! Yeah, I wanted to write Julia as a nice girl who you want to hate, because she's getting in the way of your chosen couple, but find it hard to do so 'cause she's so damn cool. I have issues when people write any sort of romantic triangle in which at one side you have this Witch and at the other this Miss. Perfect. There's no real struggle or real sense of torn. I believe it's not always black and white, you know, it's all about the gray areas; and I wanted to approach that. Ok, now I'm getting all serious… :)

Wow, it seems that a lot of new people are reading the fic. That's nice! It amazes me how many hits this little piece of writing is getting. Without further ado here's the new chapter! Full of angst just for you :D

**Chapter IX**

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the hospital. One thing was for sure, Casey wouldn't be receiving any prizes for safe driving that night. Sarah was feeling sick. Maybe it was because of that coppery smell of blood that ran through the air in the SUV, but she was pretty sure that it was related to the sight in front of her. The sight of an injured Chuck. She studied his face; his once warm face was now very pale. She couldn't believe this was happening. It felt so surreal… everything happened so fast. One minute she was talking to him, the other he was lying in the ground bleeding.

"Here he is," Casey said opening one of the car's back doors.

Casey had rushed through St. Vincent's Hospital's front doors a few minutes ago. He asked for help 'cause his friend was in his car, and he had been shot. A couple of nurses immediately took a gurney and followed him outside.

"Sarah. Sarah!" he called out.

The blonde woman was taken out of her daze, but she still had this utterly lost look on her face when she turned around to look at her partner.

"They need to take him now," he added, motioning to the two nurses standing by with the gurney.

Sarah gently lifted his head from her lap with one hand, clutched his suit's jacket with the other, and got out of the car. On the way to the hospital she took off his silver tie, undid the button of his shirt collar, took off his suit's jacket, bundled it up, and placed between his head and her lap, you know, she was trying her best to make him feel more comfortable.

The male nurse along with the female nurse removed an unconscious Chuck from the back seat to the gurney.

Casey watched the whole scene play along. He looked at Sarah, who was watching carefully the transfer as well. He noticed she hadn't said anything since they got in the car. And her eyes were so wide. He had to stop analyzing his partner's demeanor because they started rolling the man to the hospital as fast as possible.

"Strong pulse," the female nurse said, touching his neck.

Sarah -- still clutching Chuck's jacket like she was a child and the thing was her safety blankie -- was doing her best to keep up with the fast pace of the nurses. After all she was in high heels, but she wouldn't leave his side by even a second. Casey followed them too. A few steps behind 'though.

They entered the hospital through this big glassy double door. A doctor came by.

"Abdomen GSW," the male nurse reported.

"No exit wound," he added after tearing the shirt, and rolling Chuck a bit to the side.

The doctor opened his eyelids and flashed some light with this tiny flashlight. Sarah was paying close attention to everything that was being said and done. In fact she was so close that she was even making it hard for them to move around and exam Chuck. Casey, again, could be seen in the background.

"He has a strong pulse," the female nurse informed the doctor.

"His pupils are reactive," he stated.

He took a good look at the gunshot wound.

"He lost a lot of blood. We need to take him to surgery stat," he added.

"You're with him?" he asked Sarah.

"Yes," she managed to say with shaky voice.

"Did he lose conscious a long time ago?" he added.

"About fifteen minutes," she replied.

"What is his name?" the doctor continued inquiring.

"Chuck, uh, Charles. Charles Bartowski," she said touching her face.

"And you're his…" he fished.

"I'm his… friend," she finished sadly.

"Sarah Walker," she added lamely.

"Ok, Miss. Walker. We have to go now," he said rolling the gurney, helped by the nurses.

"Wait," she said following them.

"Is he going to be alright?" she asked, glancing down at Chuck.

"We'll do our best," he said, going through a white double door with a sign that read 'hospital authorized personnel only'.

"But…" she tried, standing outside the door.

They were gone. All she could do was to stand on the tip of her toes, and watch them take Chuck through this little glass square window on the door.

She stayed like that for a couple of minutes. Clutched to his bundled up black suit's jacket, staring through the little window. No more sight of Chuck on a gurney 'though. She managed to turn around and get back to the waiting area. Casey came to meet her. She was still wearing the same absent look, he realized.

"Is he going to be ok?" the NSA agent asked.

He would be damned to admit it, but along these months Casey came to grow a bit fond of the geek. Of course the man had no guts! He was a complete and total wimp. And it goes without saying that his naiveté really annoyed the agent. Plus, Casey wasn't even going to start to preach how childish Chuck is. However, Casey was yet to see another man with such loyalty and integrity. Chuck's strong moral values made Casey start to respect the man behind the nerd. And respect wasn't something Casey felt towards many people.

Sarah didn't reply. She was looking at him, but she was really looking through him.

"Hey. Hey!" the man called out to her once again.

"They… uh, they didn't say," she managed to let out.

"I need to get back to Fuller's house. Housekeeping," he stated.

She didn't say anything again.

"Are you going to be able to handle this, agent Walker?" he asked forcefully but in a low tone, looking around.

She nodded, but he didn't buy it. He knew that at this state she was in she wouldn't be able to create a plausible scenario for Chuck getting shot when the time came to answer such questions.

"Ok, hear me out. You and our boy Chuck were together at a party of some friend of yours. I don't know, you had planned this date way before the two of you broke up. You were upset that you had to go alone, and face all those questions about the break. Being the great guy that Chuck is, he wouldn't let you suffer through that. So, he said he'd go and pretend that you were still together for the night," he whispered the story to her.

"Are you with me?" he asked to confirm she was listening to him.

She looked straight into his eyes. This time he could tell she was there.

"Anyhow, you two were leaving the party when some punk tried to steal your car. Well, something went extremely wrong with the robbery attempt, and Chuck wound up with a bullet in his chest," he added.

"Is that clear?" he asked with a serious tone.

She nodded.

"So, I'm gonna ask you this again one last time. Can you handle this situation, agent Walker?" he added, looking at her in the eyes.

"Yes. I can," she replied meekly.

"Good. I have to go now," he said, turning around and leaving.

He took two steps, and turned around.

"Keep me posted on, you know, how he's doing," he added, kind of embarrassed to show he cared about Chuck.

She nodded once again, and with that he left through the front door.

Sarah took a seat on a sofa at the waiting area. She held the bundle made with Chuck's jacket very close to her heart. She didn't even notice that she was still clutched to the thing until now. She looked down at it, and couldn't help to bring it up to her face to smell it. She inhaled deeply, and there it was. His scent. She felt like crying, like collapsing right there; but she didn't. She held it all in. She couldn't crack, not now. So, she just stayed seating there holding his piece of clothing.

Twenty minutes passed, and still no word on how Chuck was doing. Sarah, who started to get restless ten minutes earlier, was now on the verge of losing it. She stood up and went to the admissions desk. There were several nurses there, and some doctors circulating also.

"I'm sorry," she said to a nurse at the computer.

"I need to know if there is any update on a patient who was brought here a while ago. His name is Chuck, I mean, Charles. Charles Bartowski," she added politely enough considering the circumstances.

"And you are…" the woman said without taking her eyes of the screen.

"I'm a friend of his," the blonde replied, starting to lose her cool.

"I'm sorry. We can't divulge info on a patient to non family members," the nurse stated, looking at Sarah now.

"No! You have to tell…" she raised her voice, but suddenly stopped on her tracks.

"Oh, my God! Ellie. I have to call Ellie! I completely forgot," she said more to herself than to the woman, covering her face with a hand.

She wasn't with her purse. She must have left it on her car. And her phone was inside the purse. She would have to ask the nurse to make a phone call. So, she placed Chuck's jacket abruptly on the desk. When she did it she heard a banging sound. There was something in his jacket's inside pocket.

"I have to make a quick call. Can I do it from here?" she asked hopeful, while grabbing whatever it was in his pocket.

To her luck it was his iPhone. She felt like smiling, but it didn't grace her features.

"Never mind," she said, waving the thing for the nurse to see.

She turned around for privacy, but before making the call she turned right back at the nurse.

"I'm not done with you yet," she warned.

She turned around again, this time for real. She was about to touch the screen to make the call, but she stopped. What would she say? How can you make a call like this? But time wasn't one of her luxuries right now. She just _had_ to do this. So, she called Ellie.

It rang once, twice, three times. On the fourth ring Ellie picked up. She and Awesome had just arrived from their date.

"Hi, Chuck! Wh…" she greeted, but was cut by Sarah.

"Ellie, actually it's me. Sarah," she said in a soft voice.

"Oh, Sarah," the brunette replied, checking her cell's visor to make sure she didn't misread who was calling.

"Hi! How are you? And what are you doing on Chuck's cell?" she added asking, a bit intrigued.

"Ellie, I don't know how to say this. So, I'm just going to say it, ok?" the blonde said.

"Something bad happened… to Chuck," she added softly.

"What do you mean?" the brunette asked with an odd feeling on her gut.

"He got hurt. We're at St. Vincent's Hospital, you should come here," she tried to say as nicely as possible.

"Oh, God! How hurt? What happened? Is he ok?" she asked frantically, starting to feel this chill running through her body.

"I don't know how he is. They won't tell me anything. You should come here now," Sarah kinda pleaded.

"Ok, Devon and I are going right now. I'll see you soon," she concluded.

Ellie felt her legs starting to get weak. She was a doctor, used to deal with this type of situation, but things were different when her little brother was concerned. Awesome noticed that her face turned pale after the call.

"What's wrong, babe?" he asked, going towards her.

"Chuck… uh, Chuck is at the hospital. He got hurt," she replied, trying to get her mind wrapped around the news.

"Hurt how?" he asked, placing his hand on her back for support.

"I don't know. I don't know anything! Sarah called, and she said… I don't know. We have to go there now!" she said nervously and rather incoherently.

"Ok, I'll take you there," he replied softly.

They left home in a hurry without looking back.

Sarah felt a little relieved after making the call to Ellie. It was one of the most difficult calls that she had ever had to make. She was glad she was over with it. She turned around to talk to the nurse again.

"Can't you just tell me if he's ok?" she pleaded in her softest tone.

"I'm sorry, hospital policy. I can't tell anything to people outside the family. If you were at least his girlfriend, I could make an exception. However, being just friends… I just can't," the woman replied politely.

Sarah couldn't believe their relationship status had to come to bite her in the ass even in this situation.

"We _were_ boyfriend and girlfriend in the not so distant past. Doesn't that count for anything?" she tried a desperate move.

The woman didn't need to know they were _pretend _boyfriend and girlfriend. However the desperate plea didn't help Sarah. The nurse sympathetically shook her head 'no'.

"Fine! Thank you very much!" the blonde said with sarcasm.

Sarah recollected Chuck's suit jacket from the desk, put his phone back in the pocket, and turned around to go back to the waiting area. She sat down on the same sofa as before, and sighed. She looked down, and noticed for the first time that she had dried up blood all over her hands. Chuck's blood. There were even a few little spots on her dress.

Ellie was coming; she couldn't let Chuck's sister see this. It was going to be a traumatic experience as it was; she didn't need to add anything to that. Can you imagine, Ellie arriving to the sight of a bloody Sarah? No; that scenario could never happen.

Sarah looked around to see if she spotted the ladies room, but she didn't see anything. A male nurse was passing by, so, she took the chance to ask.

"Excuse me, where is the ladies room?" she asked looking up at the man.

"Taking the right here, it's the third door to the left," he answered, barely stopping.

"Thank you," she said, getting up.

Sarah made her way to the ladies room. It was very spacious. She was grateful that there was no one there; she was alone. She placed Chuck's jacket near the sink very carefully, she didn't know why she was babysitting the piece of clothing this much. The CIA agent turned on the faucet, and cool water started to fall. She took a small amount of liquid soap from the nearby dispenser into her hands, and proceeded to wash the blood off.

She rubbed, and rubbed, and rubbed methodically and forcefully until her hands were all red. Not red from his blood now, but from the hispid washing. The blood was all gone. She turned the faucet off, and walked to the far end wall where the paper towels were. She grabbed a few, and dried her hands. After that Sarah rolled the paper, and dumped in the trash can.

She went back to the previous spot in front of the sink. The blonde woman leaned on it with both hands, and looked at the reflection of herself in the large mirror right on the wall in front of her. She looked herself in the eyes. Very, _very_ deep into her own blue eyes for a few seconds. And that proved to be too much for her. She couldn't handle these emotions anymore; she couldn't keep everything locked up for not even one more second. So, right there in a public hospital bathroom, agent Sarah Walker allowed herself to cry.

She cried, sobbed, looked down and up; but after a couple of minutes she deemed enough. She had allowed herself a few minutes of vulnerability, now it was time to pull herself together, and keep going. So, that's what she did. She stopped crying, took a deep breath, and looked at herself again in the mirror. Her eyes were bloated and red.

Sarah splashed some water on her face, and dried it up with more paper towels. She used some of those soaked in water to remove the blood stains from her dress, trashed them, collected Chuck's jacket from the sink, took another long deep breath, checked herself on the mirror one more time to see if she looked presentable, and left the ladies room. Ellie should be arriving, and she had to be ready.

**TBC.**

**A/N:** I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Anyway, I was going to add a little throwing up in the bathroom for Sarah, and a little mascara running; but decided it was a bit of an overkill, and kinda gross. So, I left it out. Just a backstage of writing info for you guys lol


	10. Chapter 10

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 10/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master. I do own Julia, 'though :D

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Well, thanks for all the reviews! And for the new faces (**princessdeleon, ****Sarina****Danally, ****windsweptsilence, ****shadyrenee**): welcome! Thanks for taking the time to write a review! It means a lot.

**Nattylovesjordy,** just put down the water gun. The new chapter is here! Lol

**Sarina**, thanks for taking the time to write a review. There are so many people that read and don't write a review (honestly myself included at times), but I'm glad you decided to do so. I must say that you really got what I was trying to portray with Sarah's emotions, and you were spot on about the jacket. That was exactly was I tried to imply!

**Windsweptsilence, **I'm glad you managed to stick around. Now, is Julia really that bad? Lol

Without further ado here's chapter 10 (the longest so far, by the way). It took me more effort to write this one, 'cause there were so many lose ends to tie. I hope you guys are not disappointed with the portray of all the interactions you were all so eager to read. Anyhow, enjoy!

**Chapter X**

Sarah was back sitting on the waiting area sofa when Ellie and Awesome crossed the front door in a rush. Ellie was blinded by worry and didn't even saw the blonde woman hopelessly sitting there. She was heading straight and on full gear to the admissions desk. Awesome, on the other hand, noticed Sarah there and stopped his fiancé. He pointed out Sarah to Ellie, and both started going to her direction.

Sarah's heart raced when she caught sight of the couple. There it was. The dreadful moment she would have to really tell Ellie what had happened to her brother. She didn't know exactly how she would say it; she had tried to come up with some sort of script, some sort of list of topics to be able to deliver the information the best way possible on these last few minutes; but she wound up with nothing. So, when Ellie and Awesome started coming towards her, she knew she would have to improvise as she went on with it.

Sarah, who was no longer clutched to Chuck's jacket – she willed herself to simply have it neatly placed on her lap -- stood up to meet them both.

"Sarah, what happened? Where's Chuck?" the brunette asked rather frantically, while Awesome's arm was protectively wrapped around her shoulder.

Sarah knew this was it; it was time to deliver Casey's little story. To be completely honest, it was not like she had never lied before, in fact her whole career was made of it. She was great in this department. However, in this case, she actually cared about the players involved.

"This is so difficult to say, Ellie. Someone tried to steal the car… Something went wrong, and Chuck, uh… Chuck, well; he was shot," she put softly.

"Shot?! But, uh… Someone tried to steal his car? Who would want to steal a nerdmobile?" she asked sitting down on the sofa, overwhelmed by the news.

"They didn't try to steal his car," she began, trying to build up courage to say the next part.

"They tried to steal mine," she completed, looking straight into Ellie's eyes.

The fiancés were surprised by that, Sarah could tell.

"Chuck was with me. He was doing me a favor; I had this friend's party to go to, and I was invited to it when we were still a couple. So, they expected me and my boyfriend. Now that we are broken up I wasn't feeling like getting bombarded with questions about why we were no longer together. Chuck, being Chuck, offered to tag along with me just for the night," she said without catching a breath.

"And when we were heading back home this guy showed up. He wanted my car, and I was more than willing to let him have it; but I guess he got nervous and wound up shooting Chuck, and running empty handed," she added in such a low tone that they could barely hear her.

Ellie was about to say something, but Sarah wasn't finished yet. She needed to let this last bit out of her chest.

"It was…" she tried, looking down.

This was so hard for her.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have dragged him to that party with me," she concluded, eyes still on the floor; she couldn't face them.

Sarah knew this wasn't the real reason she was guilty when it came to Chuck getting shot; but one reason or the other it was her fault. She should have protected him better. She shouldn't have handed him the box, and if she didn't she would be the one lying on that gurney, not Chuck. She thought the only thing she was good at was her job, but it didn't feel so right now. She asked Chuck to trust her, and he trusted his life to her. In the end she failed; she failed him. And that hurt her like she never thought possible.

Ellie looked at Awesome, and he looked back at her. Both could tell at that time that they shared the same thoughts, without even having to voice them.

"Sarah, hey," the brunette said standing up, and trying to break the blonde's fascination with the floor.

It worked 'cause Sarah's eyes were now on Ellie's. She took the blonde's hands on hers.

"This wasn't your fault. Accidents happen, as much as we'd like them not to. Nobody here blames you," she added midst a weak smile.

Awesome nodded and matched his fiancé's smile. Sarah felt relieved, really relieved. She didn't plan on it when she first started this mission, but she found herself caring about what all these new people in her life thought about her. So, she smiled back at them.

"Now let's see how my brother is doing. I gather the hospital's staff didn't let you in on it," she said, suddenly gaining some sort of self-control over her nervous state.

Sarah simply shook her head 'no', with an annoyed look on her face.

"I don't know why but I get the feeling that everything will be okay," Ellie added softly.

"Yeah, me too," Awesome said in his typical Captain voice.

The three of them shared a warm feeling, and hopeful smiles graced their features. And with that positive vibe they went towards the admissions desk. When they reached it the same nurse as before was going through some papers behind the desk.

"Hello, I'm Ellie Bartowski. My brother was brought here with a gunshot wound. His name is Charles Bartowski; I'd like to know how he's doing," she said politely.

Sarah and the nurse exchanged looks, and the agent couldn't help but smirk.

"I'll see what we have here," the nurse said sitting in front of the computer, and punching something on the keyboard.

"Well, your brother is still in surgery. We don't have much more…," she put flatly.

She took a quick glance at Sarah, and could see the worry. Not only on her face, but on the sister's as well. It wasn't like she didn't want to help before, she did; but she couldn't.

"_But_ if you take a seat at the waiting area, I'll go there right now and bring you an update," she added looking up at them.

"That would be great," Ellie said midst a smile.

Awesome smiled at the woman as well. The nurse looked at Sarah and offered a half smile as some sort of peace offering. The blonde took it, and smiled back. She could tell that the nurse was a hard-ass, but deep down she knew she was just doing her job. Even 'though it made her highly annoying before.

A few moments later the trio was seating at the edge of the sofa when the nurse came back. The tension was beyond palpable, everyone was extremely nervous. They all got up at the same time.

"I talked to his doctor, and they managed to contain the bleeding. He's closing him now, and will be with you shortly to explain the situation," the nurse reported.

"Thank you," Ellie replied.

The nurse was about to leave but was interrupted by Ellie.

"I'm, uh, we're doctors at L.A. Medical Center…" she added motioning between herself and Awesome.

"Good for you," the nurse cut her.

"I mean, can't I enter the O.R. just a bit to watch how everything is going?" she tried her luck.

"Being a doctor I believe you know what my answer will be," the ironic nurse delivered.

"I had to try," the brunette conceded.

The nurse turned around to leave, and without turning back she said to Ellie midst a half-smile,

"Well, nice try."

It didn't take long for the doctor to come, and once again all three hurriedly stood up. Awesome had his arm around Ellie, and Sarah was standing very close to the brunette woman.

"Are you Bartowski's sister?" he asked without ceremony.

"Yes, I'm Ellie Bartowski," she replied promptly.

"Well, Miss Bartowski; your brother came in with a gunshot wound, and he had lost a considerable amount of blood. We were able to remove the projectile and stop the bleeding. Luckily the bullet didn't hit any of his organs on the way in. Anyway, the surgery was a complete success. Your brother will be fine," the doctor stated managing to offer a small smile at the end.

The three of them smiled brightly. Sarah felt like a huge load was lifted off her back, her eyes were shining. Awesome gave Ellie a quick kiss, and Ellie hugged Sarah tightly.

"We'll transfer him to a room now. Because of the sedatives he won't wake up for a couple of hours, but you may see him if you wish. Now, if you excuse me," the doctor added.

"Sure! Thanks doc," Awesome said enthusiastically.

The doctor went away, leaving the trio to bask on the recent good news.

"Here, take Chuck's jacket. I have to make a quick phone call but I'll catch up with you in a minute," Sarah said handing Ellie the piece of clothing.

"Ok, I'll see you there," the brunette replied.

While Sarah was making a collect phone call to Casey's cell – from the new found hospital's pay phone -- to inform him that Chuck would be fine, Ellie was surprised by some tune coming from Chuck's jacket. She inspected the jacket and found his iPhone ringing. Julia's photo was on the screen. Ellie answered and told her succinctly that Chuck had been hurt, but that he was no longer in danger. She informed the blue eyed woman in which hospital they were, and the latter promised to arrive as soon as possible.

They moved an unconscious Chuck to room number 102 and, with a little persistence, they managed to persuade the ironic nurse to let the three of them stay in the room with the patient. Ellie took a good look at her brother who seemed so helpless and fragile on that hospital bed, and couldn't help but get watery eyes. She kissed him gently on the cheek, took a seat at a chair by his bedside, and held his left hand.

Sarah also took a look at Chuck on his bed, and got emotional. Not that she showed that to the other people on the room. It was really something odd to see someone you really care about lying on a hospital bed. It made Sarah feel vulnerable to see him so vulnerable. And that was a feeling she didn't like to feel at all. However, the last thing she was caring about now was what she was _supposed_ to feel, she would just feel and the heck with "supposed". So, she did what she wanted for a change. She took a nearby chair, sat on the other side of his bed, and held his right hand.

Ellie, who was watching the blonde woman, smiled at her. Sarah reciprocated the gesture. Awesome stood by the bottom of Chuck's bed reading his chart. While they waited for him to wake up, Ellie shared some childhood stories starring Chuck as the main star. Stories that would pretty much embarrass the hell out of him if he was awake. They shared some light hearted laughs and it helped to lighten up their mood a bit.

One hour passed and Chuck still hadn't woken up. The hospital chairs were starting to take their toll on the three people at room 102.

"I'm going to grab some coffee for you, girls; and also take the chance to stretch my legs a bit. I'll be back in a flash," the Captain said giving Ellie a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, I could use a leg stretch too. I have to go the ladies room," Sarah said honestly.

"Ok, I'll wait you both here," Ellie replied.

Awesome opened the sliding glass door, and he and Sarah left the room together. She made a right to the ladies room, and he made a left to the cafeteria. While they were leaving the room Julia was at the admissions desk; she saw Awesome and Sarah leaving a room and parting ways.

"Never mind, I know where he is. Thank you very, _very_ much," she said flirtatiously to the male nurse, rushing towards Chuck's room.

Julia entered the room and saw Ellie sitting by her boyfriend's bedside. She went to Ellie and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here. I went to a concert on the other side of town with Linda, and I was just leaving there when I talked to you on the phone. So, I had to really speed to get here fast, but then this officer made me pull over. I didn't have the time to flirt my way out of the speeding ticket; so, I just wished he'd give the damn thing to me already. No, that would be too easy! Instead he had to give me this whole speech on safe driving first _th__e__n_he gave me the ticket. I'll tell you," Julia cried out fast and without taking a breath.

"Plus, arriving here I had to really flirt my way into this room. They really have a thing with the non family member policy, don't they? I'm sorry, I'm babbling. I kinda do that when I'm completely and utterly nervous. How's Chuck? What happened?" she spat out a mile a minute, taking her time to look at her boyfriend.

"He was a victim of a robbery, and he wound up getting shot," Ellie said softly.

"Oh, my God! He was shot?! I need to seat down; I thought he cut himself, or had his appendices removed," the blue eyed lady said, sitting on the chair previously occupied by Sarah.

She took another look at Chuck sort of making sure he was really ok. This time Julia was the one to hold his hand, and that didn't go unnoticed by Ellie either.

"How did this happen?" she asked, concern all over her voice.

"This guy tried to steal the car," Ellie began softly.

"Who would steal a nerdmobile?" Julia matched Ellie's previous question.

Ellie wasn't sure if it was her place to tell Julia what happened. Maybe Chuck would appreciate if he was the one to tell his girlfriend that he was doing his ex a favor escorting her to a party. And he was unfortunate enough to get shot on their way out. However, Ellie hated lying, and the truth would come out sooner or later. So, she told Julia everything. Stressing the part that Chuck couldn't help to be a nice guy, he couldn't help to see a friend struggling with something, and help out. Everything was very innocent and nothing happened. That part Ellie added by herself, but she knew it was true. Her brother wasn't the cheating type at all.

Julia seemed to be very cool with the whole situation. She didn't even mention to Ellie that she had seen Sarah leaving the room a few moments ago. All she seemed to care was that Chuck was doing very well, and would wake up very soon. Ellie was surprised by that. If that happened to her and Devon she'd want at least a couple of explanations. Maybe she was saving them for Chuck, she thought. Either way she was glad everything went smoothly.

Sarah was making her way from the bathroom to Chuck's room, but when she reached the sliding glass door she spotted Julia inside talking to Ellie. She took a step back so both women couldn't see her, but she would still be able to see them. She watched the interaction between them. Nothing out of the ordinary, just talking. Very much like what _she_ was doing before Julia came. She noticed that Julia was at _her_ previous seat now, holding Chuck's hand the same way _she_ did moments before. And then something clicked inside her. She didn't belong in there… not anymore.

She really wanted to stay and wait for Chuck to wake up, but it would be all too much. Her presence there it would clearly only bring awkwardness. The last thing she wanted now was to create any more problems for Chuck; she had created trouble already as it was. It would be best for everybody if she just made a discrete getaway. And there was also the cover up story, she had even forgotten about that. She needed to leave. Now.

Sarah started to back away, and when she finally turned to head out, she bumped into someone. Captain Awesome. It was too good to be true, she thought. Making a clean getaway wasn't in the cards for her.

"Hey. Where were you headed to?" he asked holding a coffee support with three cups of coffee in it.

"Hi, yeah, uh… I actually, I have to go home," she tried awkwardly.

Awesome looked through the sliding glass door and saw his fiancé talking to Julia. He might be clueless, but he wasn't _this _clueless.

"You don't have to leave, you know," he added sympathetically.

"I know, I know… I just have to go home. When he wakes up tell him I'll visit him later, ok?" the blonde said, looking more at the floor than at Awesome's face.

"I'll deliver the message," he said midst a smile.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" he tried one more time.

"Yes. See you later," she delivered heading to the front door.

Awesome made his way to the room shaking his head.

It had been almost two hours since Chuck came out of the O.R., and still he hadn't woken up. They were starting to get impatient, and a tad scared, when his legs started to move a little. The three of them stood up quickly and rushed to his bedside. Ellie and Awesome at one side, and Julia at the other.

"Hey, Chuck," Ellie said barely above a whisper.

He continued to move slowly, but didn't open his eyes.

"Sarah? Sarah?" he said in a husky, low voice.

Julia sort of reacted to that a bit, but hid it pretty fast for anyone to really notice.

"No, sweetie. It's Ellie; Sarah was here, but she had to go home. She told Devon she'd come to visit you later," she said in the same tone as before.

He opened his eyes slowly, and with a tad of difficult, 'cause they weren't adjusted to the brightness of the room. Then he saw the three people hovering over him.

"Hey, sis. Where am I?" he asked looking around.

"You're at St. Vincent's Hospital. Sarah brought you here after you got shot; she told us everything about what happened to you guys," Ellie said softly.

Chuck could be a little out of it, but he knew Sarah wouldn't have told them everything that _really_ happened that night. He had to fish to discover what she had made up.

"And what was that exactly? I can't quite remember everything, just some bits and pieces," he managed to improvise.

Ellie told him everything just like Sarah had told her earlier. He couldn't help to direct his gaze towards Julia, whom he knew should be really upset that he cancelled plans to go out with her to go out with his ex instead. They couldn't create a better scenario for him, no, he thought.

"Are you feeling ok?" Julia spoke for the first time.

Chuck couldn't detect any sort of anger in her tone of voice, but he could be too groggy to tell. She even let out a small smile, which must have been a good sign; he thought.

"Yeah, just a little groggy. Not that I'm complaining, 'cause I have a very low pain threshold," he said matching her smile.

"Great to see you awake, man," Awesome said smiling, to which Chuck nodded smiling as well.

Ellie sat on the side of his bed, and held his hand.

"You know, you gave me quite a scare tonight," she said softly and yet emotionally.

"I know; I'm sorry, sis," he replied looking at her in the eyes.

"I mean, you could have…," she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Her eyes were all watery, and she was all chocked up.

"Hey, hey…," Chuck said giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"What would I do without you?" she said regaining control of her voice.

"Just promise me you will never pull something like that on me again, ok?" she added hugging his lying form gently.

"I promise, sis," he said softly on her ear.

At this point Ellie couldn't contain her tears anymore; so, she let them free to roll down her red face. Chuck knew that was an empty promise. Ever since he was involved in this government "experiment", he knew his life as he once knew was over. And safety wasn't something that he could really rely on, it would be foolish and naïve to think otherwise; yesterday was a harsh reminder of that. However, Ellie didn't need, nor could, be burdened with this naked truth. So, he would try as hard as he could to hold on to that promise; as difficult as it might be.

After the emotional portion of the night was over, and the doctor came to check up on Chuck; they all just stayed there making sure he was comfortable, you know, handing him water, adjusting his pillows, and all that jazz.

"Hey, Devon and I will go to the cafeteria to eat something. Can you watch him for a little while, Julia?" Ellie asked standing up beside Awesome.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll make sure he doesn't strain himself reaching for the tv control," she joked light hearted.

The four of them shared a laugh.

"Can we bring you something?" Ellie asked.

"No, I'm good. Thanks!" Julia replied.

So, the newly engaged couple left the room. Julia took a seat on the side of Chuck's bed.

"Hey," he said softly midst a full smile.

"Hey, yourself," she replied reaching for the tv control.

"Let's see if anything good is on," she added pushing the 'on' button.

"I think we need to talk, about, uh, you know… what happened," he said awkwardly looking at her.

Julia, on the other hand, had her eyes on the television as she kept flipping the channels.

"Oh, we don't have to talk about this right here, right now. We can do it later," she replied still not taking her eyes away from the tube.

"No, I think it's best if we get it all out in the open now," he said softly grabbing gently the hand she held the remote control with.

She turned the tv off and turned around to face him without saying anything.

"Jules, I know I cancelled our date to the concert saying I had to work after hours, while in reality I took Sarah to her friend's party. And I get that this sounds pretty bad, but I really can explain…," he said honestly, but was interrupted by Julia.

"Ok, I really didn't want to do this right now, but you leave me no choice. See, Chuck; you don't have to explain anything to me. You really don't," she said serenely.

"I," he said trying to cut her.

"No, please; just let me finish," she quickly interjected.

He pursed his lips and nodded.

"This isn't about the fact that you cancelled our plans, lied to me about having to work, and went to a party with your ex instead. Obviously I have issues with my boyfriend doing something like that to me, but come on, I know you Chuck. It's so you to go to such lengths to help out a friend. If that was all I'd say we would eventually work things out; but it isn't, is it?" she asked shaking her head 'no'.

"This is about the constant exchange of lingering looks, the many times you're there with me but your mind is somewhere else completely, the way your eyes sparkle every time anyone barely mentions her name," Julia said softly and knowingly but was once again was cut by him.

"That's not, uh, that isn't…" he tried to defend himself, but this time she was the one to cut him.

"You don't have to deny it, Chuck," she said genuinely, and with a bittersweet smile on her face.

"However, there's always a slightest chance that I'm wrong. As hard as it is for anyone to believe, it _has_ happened before," she joked gracing the same smile.

"So, I want you to just look straight into my eyes and say that you don't have strong feelings -- I will even refrain from using the 'l' word here – for, uh, Sarah, and I will believe you. We'll drop this and I'll never, ever bring this up again," she finished with certainty.

Julia couldn't believe she was actually doing this. She was actually voicing the concern she had from day one of this relationship. However, she have never had the courage to speak up, until now. Maybe it was because she feared the answer, or even better, she knew all too well what it would be.

"I…," he tried.

Chuck couldn't say anything. He couldn't lie, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything that would hurt her either. He liked her, and as much as he wished it was enough it clearly wasn't. Neither for him or for her.

So, silence fell upon them. Chuck looked into Julia's big blue eyes, and she looked straight back into his. She wished he had just said something, 'cause his silence to that question hurt her more than a thousand words ever could. She felt like crying, but she held it in.

"Well, I guess your silence pretty much answers my question," she said preparing herself to stand up.

Chuck grabbed her by the wrist to prevent her from getting up.

"Wait, I really like you Julia," he whispered honestly.

"I wish it was enough, Chuck," she replied in the same tone.

On some level Julia always knew she didn't have him completely, but she thought she'd win the rest of him as time went by. The truth was if it didn't happen by now, it never would. The more she dragged this, the more she would end up hurt. And Julia was a practical kind of gal, as much as sometimes she wished she wasn't.

"Me, too," he said squeezing her hand gently.

Julia got up, this time for real. She looked down at Chuck; they locked eyes for a few moments.

"Is this really it?" he asked rather incredulously.

She didn't answer, just gave him a nod midst a forced half-smile.

"What are you going to do?" he asked genuinely interested and concerned.

"I think I'll move back to New York. I've never really felt L.A., you know, all this sunshine, all these actors, _and _wannabe actors. Plus you can't find a decent bagel in this town," she joked as a self-defense mechanism.

Chuck smiled. He recognized that mechanism all too well; he was a member of that club. They were very much alike, and he really did like her.

"I miss the snow, my family, my friends, culture in general… I guess you can take the girl out of New York, but you can't take New York out of the girl," she added.

"However I'll sure miss driving my car with the windows down, and the sound turned on very loud. There's no way you can have a car in NY City," she continued.

Then she took a good look at Chuck.

"Well, I guess that's not the only 'thing' I'll miss about LA," she finished weakly.

She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, bent down, and hugged him.

"Goodbye, Chuck. We could have been great," she whispered in his ear.

At this moment she could no longer hold back her tears; so, a couple of them streamed down her face. She pulled back from the hug, and gave him one last passionate kiss. Then in a matter of seconds she rushed out of the bedroom, and out of his life. He thought about stopping her… but didn't. She was right; she was right about everything. And she deserved better than 'good enough'.

"I know," Chuck replied to an empty room.

**A/N:** Again, I hope you guys are not disappointed with the end product. I struggled to write Julia's farewell, 'cause I wanted to be something really special. I really enjoyed writing her, but we all know the relationship was doomed from the start. And as much as I love her character I love Sarah's more. I can't wait to start cracking on Chuck and Sarah! I wanted to deal with the whole "did Chuck hear Sarah or not" situation after the break-up, but I thought it would be really heartless of him to be thinking about, or rather delving about his feelings for another woman right after ending a relationship with another. Expect to see that on the next chapter. Also, I'm fed up with this hospital storyline; so, it'll take just a little more time to tie the loose ends, and then we shall move on to greener pastures.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 11/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Thanks for all the reviews!

Sincere apologies for the massive delay. You know, life… and laziness (to be quite frank).

On a good news, I passed the Bar exam! Thanks to those who sent me positive vibes :D

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter XI**

When Sarah got home from the hospital all she wanted to do was to let her body tumble down onto her bed. She just wanted to fall asleep, so she could wake up later to realize the whole day was nothing more than a bad dream. However, when she arrived at her room, her mind was racing like there was no tomorrow. It kept playing, and re-playing the fatidic events of that night. As she took a long, hot bath, images of Chuck getting shot, and lying on a hospital gurney made their way to her mind. Even the hospital smell she had always hated so much seemed to still linger in the air.

The fact that she had to leave before Chuck had woken up didn't help to soothe this tangled, tight, heavy feeling she had on her chest. This uncomfortable feeling of uneasiness just wouldn't let her be. That's why she kept tossing and turning in bed, unable to go to sleep after having such a relaxing bath. She had to remind herself more than a couple of times that the doctor said he would be fine, that he would wake up pretty soon; but Sarah was the type of woman that liked to see things for herself. So, she reminded herself that Julia was there.

Julia would be there when he'd wake up. Julia was his girlfriend, not her. It really wasn't her prerogative to impose her presence. She was the ex, as far as the other woman was concerned. That line of thought made it even more impossible for Sarah to catch some zs.

So, Sarah found herself reaching for something inside the bottom drawer of her nightstand. She reached for her Christmas gift; the one Chuck gave to her. She opened up the photo album and started to scan the photos meticulously. She kept flipping the pages, and studying those faces in the pictures. His face, her face, their faces… they were smiling and goofing around, and those memories brought a smile to Sarah's face. Without realizing she fell asleep beside the opened up photo album.

Sarah got woken up by a shot. Surprise, surprise, she was dreaming about the shooting. She looked through the window from her bed and it was really early. The sun was barely starting to come out. She decided she had waited long enough. She needed to visit Chuck. So, she rapidly threw some clothes on, put her hair up on a ponytail, splashed some water on her face, brushed her teeth, and headed for the hospital.

Morgan was sitting on a chair by Chuck's hospital bedside when Sarah slid the glass door open. Both he and Chuck, who were chatting aimlessly at the time, looked directly at her. Morgan noticed that she was wearing a black trench coat, and pointy black high heels.

"Hey, boys," she said in a deep husky tone.

"Sarah, hi! What bring you here?" Morgan asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, I came to see Chuck…" she replied in the same tone, heading to the bottom of the bed and leaning on its rail with both hands.

"…and you," she finished in a whisper.

Morgan gulped, but his attention was shifted to the sliding glass door as someone else came through: Julia.

"Hey, Jules! You're also here," he said enthusiastically.

He took a once over at the blue eyed woman, and she was wearing the exact same trench coat as Sarah. The only difference was in the color, hers was a dark, rich caramel. Pointy caramel high heels on her feet.

"Wait. What are you doing here?" he asked her after a small pause.

"Didn't you tell me that you two broke up?" he asked Chuck turning his head around to face his long-time pal.

However, when he looked at the bed Chuck wasn't there anymore.

"Where did he…" he said more to himself than to the ladies.

The ladies weren't paying attention to him. They were staring at each other in the eye.

"Julia," Sarah said in a menacing tone.

"Sarah," Julia replied in the exact same tone.

Both women locked eyes and the tension was beyond palpable.

"What are you doing here?" the CIA agent asked.

"What are _you _doing here?" the lady doctor answered with a question.

Before Morgan could really grasp what was going on there, the ladies started to untie and unbutton their trench coats. Sarah and Julia took of their coats, letting them fall onto the floor, and underneath they were wearing matching Victoria Secrets baby dolls, just like the one Morgan bought Chuck for Christmas. Sarah's was black and Julia's white.

"Hey, that's my babyd…" Morgan tried to say midst a long gulp, but couldn't manage to finish the sentence.

The women now were inside this little rink that was inside of Chuck's hospital bedroom. The bedroom now appeared larger than it actually was, not that Morgan was interested in space at the moment. He slowly took a seat, if this was happening; he would damn sure enjoy the show. He sat down and wiped some drool that was dripping from his mouth.

Sarah and Julia were going around in circles inside of the rink, and after taking a better look, Morgan could tell it was full of jello. They were studying each other, preparing to make a move. Sarah was the one to initiate the attack on Julia; she went straight for the brunette's hair and started to pull on it. Julia, kind of as a reflex, started to pull on Sarah's as well. It was a major catfight, and Morgan couldn't be more turned on.

"I want Morgan," Sarah said to Julia in an angry tone.

"No! I want Morgan," Julia replied in the same edgy tone.

"Why do you always want to take what I want?" the blonde yelled, taking the brunette down.

They rolled around in jello, attacking one another.

"He's mine," the lady doctor said.

"I'll show you what is yours," the agent said mounting on top of the blue eyed brunette.

"Dude, this is so hot! I can't believe…" Morgan said excited when someone entered through the glass door.

"Morgan! What is going on here?"" Anna yelled rushing towards her boyfriend.

Morgan woke up startled. He was sitting on a chair by Chuck's hospital bedside.

"Hey there, buddy. You dozed off for a few minutes," Chuck said softly.

Morgan situated himself; of course that had to be a dream. He looked at his friend lying in bed, and in front of Chuck there was this food tray with two empty jello cups, and one half full. There they were in all their glory: his dream trigger.

"Hey, sorry about that, dude. I remember now… We were talking about the awesomeness of jello, and," the bearded friend started to say.

"And my love life… or lack thereof," Chuck self-deprecatingly said.

Another trigger, Morgan thought; but he shook off the remains of the dream to help up his best friend.

"Well, it's ok, buddy. Julia was a fine, fine lady," he said a little bit too gushingly as Chuck shot him a 'watch-out' look, and started to finish eating the remaining half full jello cup.

Morgan took the hint.

"But when it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be," he finished trying to sound wise.

Like on queue the sliding glass door opened up to reveal none other than Sarah. She walked in the room in a pair of dark blue jeans, a plain white tee, a high ponytail, and a bright smile; and Chuck couldn't remember ever seeing her look so beautiful. He put the jello cup slowly down, and took a deep breath, as she walked over to his bedside.

Sarah entered the room and saw Chuck seating up talking to Morgan; she was so happy to see him awake that, absently to her will, a bright smile made its way to her features. As she made her way to his bedside, she quickly noticed that color had returned to his face, unlike how he looked when they first brought him here to the hospital.

"Hey," she said softly maintaining the same bright smile.

"Hi," he replied smiling brightly back.

They stared at each other in the eyes for a few seconds. It was like there were only the two of them in the room. Without saying a word both knew they needed to be alone to talk.

"Hey, Morgan. Could you track down a nurse and see if I can get an extra pillow?" Chuck asked his friend without losing eye contact with Sarah.

Morgan was quite aware of what his friend was really asking him.

"Oh, sure. I hear you; I'll go find you an 'extra pillow', pal," he replied with a wink.

Sarah nodded a hello to Morgan as he was leaving the room, to which he reciprocated. She also did so without losing eye contact with Chuck.

In a matter of seconds Morgan was out of the picture.

"So," Chuck let out.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What is a little bullet in the abdomen, right?" he joked light hearted.

She smiled, and after a while she looked around the room.

"Where's Ellie?" she asked a little self-conscious.

The truth was she was nervous. She didn't know exactly what to say, or what emotions she could display at that moment. She was more than aware that there was, and there would ever be, a line between herself and Chuck. A line of ethics and professionalism that, given the nature of their relationship, she could never cross. However, somewhere along the way, the line started to get blurrier by the day. Her feelings towards her protégé could be accountant of causing said blur. And last night she got the undeniable proof of that. So, she would have to be more careful from now on.

Chuck was a bit confused by her interest in small talk when clearly there were more important things they needed to hash out, but for now he would oblige.

"Oh, Ellie went home an hour ago to take a shower and get me some stuff, you know, like decent pajamas. These hospital gowns are the least dignified pieces of clothing known by men. I can't even move in fear of flashing perfect strangers," he said smiling.

She genuinely smiled. She wanted to ask where Julia was, but the courage didn't come to her.

A few seconds went by in silence. Chuck started to get the feeling that, if he didn't bring up the topic of what happened and what was said at the night of the shooting, Sarah wouldn't. So, he mustered up some courage.

"Well, Ellie filled me in on what happened. You know, what led to me getting shot," he tested the waters.

Sarah looked blindsided, and nervous. She shifted on the chair that she was now sitting on. She took a good look at Chuck who seemed quite calm to her, and stood up heading to a nearby small table that had a plastic jar of water and plastic glasses on it.

"Are you thirsty? I can get you some water," she said facing away from him, and pouring some water in the glass.

"No, I'm good. I'm full with all this wonderful jello I ate; the only good thing about being sick by the way. Besides getting to stay in bed and watch tv all day without feeling guilty about it, of course," he replied nonchalantly.

Sarah stayed facing away from Chuck; she didn't even smile at his musing, that's how nervous she was.

"It's a good thing that she did, you know. 'Cause otherwise I would have no idea that someone tried to rob us while I was doing you a favor by escorting you to your friend's party," he delivered rather mockingly.

There would be no way of her escaping this conversation, he thought.

He just won't let this go, she thought.

"I thought you would be here when I woke up, you know, to secure the cover-up story at least," he added with a tad of resentment in his voice.

As much as Sarah had to maintain a distance, and not show her true feelings for Chuck, she couldn't let him believe this. So, she turned around and faced him.

"I wanted to be here. I wanted to stay and wait for you to wake up, and it wasn't to secure our cover. I wanted to make sure you were ok. You really scared me, you know. Don't do that again," she honestly said.

He couldn't stop a tiny grin from taking over his lips.

"But," he interjected to make her keep going.

"But your… girlfriend," she still had trouble pronouncing that.

"Julia came by and I didn't want to mess things up for you," she added staring at her shoes.

"Our cover story was damaging enough," she finished awkwardly.

"She broke up with me," he blurted out.

"What?!" the blonde asked.

"Julia ended her relationship with me," he rephrased.

"I got that," she said a little annoyed by his evading tactic.

"But why? I can go to her and explain that you were doing me a favor, and…" she tried eagerly.

"It's fine. It wasn't because of the cover story, anyway," he cut her.

"Why then?" she asked a bit intrigued.

It was Chuck's turn to get self-conscious. He didn't want to say it was because of Sarah, because of what Julia thought he felt for the blonde. Maybe he didn't want to scare the agent, but it was probably a self-defense move, you know, avoiding being in that uncomfortable vulnerable position.

"It doesn't matter right now," he deflected interrupting eye contact for a few seconds.

Sarah noticed that. She was trained to pick up on those little tells, but she didn't know what that tell was telling. Being an agent wasn't as helpful as she'd like it to be when it came to the matters of the heart.

"What it really matters here is what happened in the mission," he said deciding to cut to the chase.

It's time to stop beating around the bush, he thought.

"Well, it was really successful. Fuller is dead, and we have the artifact back," she promptly delivered.

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about what we were discussing right before I got shot," he said a little louder than he intended to.

A chill ran through Sarah's spine. This was what she had feared. She broke down eye contact.

"Specifically what you said to me right before I passed out," he finished confidently.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said right away.

She knew.

She knew quite well what he was talking about. In a moment of truth she admitted her feelings for Chuck. She expected him not to have heard that. She hoped he had not heard that: her moment of weakness. However, it was pretty clear he heard every single word of her "I do".

"Yes, you do. I could have lost a lot of blood at that time, but I know what I heard. You admitted you have feelings for me," he simply put it.

Sarah was nervous; she had to stick to her denial.

"I don't know what you think you've heard, but I have never said that," she lied with a straight face.

Chuck snored.

"I can't believe you're denying this," he said shaking his head.

"There's nothing to deny. Nothing has been said," she insisted on the lie.

"Are you seriously going to stick with this?" he asked in disbelief.

Sarah shrugged in response.

Both knew their exchange was starting to sound too juvenile.

"That's really…" he tried to say but was interrupted by the glass door sliding open.

Ellie entered the room carrying a small luggage in one hand and a flower bouquet in the other.

"Hey, Sarah! Nice of you to drop by to visit Chuck," she said leaving the stuff on a chair, and hugging the blonde woman.

"Hi! Yeah, I came to see if he was feeling ok," the agent replied hugging back.

After they finished hugging, the brunette looked from the blonde to her brother and she could tell that she had walked in on something.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked hopeful with a smile on her face.

Ellie thought they might have been working things out. Chuck had told her earlier about Julia breaking up with him. Plus she always knew her brother's heart belonged to Sarah.

Chuck was about to say something, but Sarah was quicker.

"No. Not really. We were just talking, nothing important," she said trying to keep a smile on her face.

She looked from Ellie to Chuck and could tell he wasn't happy with that.

"Actually I was just about to leave. I have an early shift," she added.

"Already? Can't you stay for a while longer?" Ellie tried.

"I really can't. If I miss one more early shift I might get fired," she said smiling light hearted.

"Ok, then. Thank you for stopping by, right Chuck?" the brunette prompted her brother.

"Yeah, sure. Thank you, Sarah," he said with enough sarcasm so Sarah could pick up on.

And she picked up on that alright. It didn't feel good. Sarah was about to leave the room when she turned around to Chuck.

"I'm really glad you're ok, Chuck," she said in a low tone, looking directly at him.

Without waiting for an answer she exited through the sliding glass door. She felt emotionally exhausted. Chuck saw Sarah leaving the room and felt frustrated, but touched by her last-minute caring display. Sarah wouldn't make this easy on him; but again when she ever did? However, Chuck knew what he had heard on that previous tragic night, and for once he knew exactly how Sarah felt for him. And the fact that she actually had feelings for him at all made him feel good inside. For now that fact was enough. He would give her time… for now.

**A/N:** I wasn't about to write any interactions between Julia and Sarah post-breakup, but since many of you were interested in reading it I adapted the idea a bit. The reason I didn't want to write it was because I couldn't see a point for it. Because the only point I could see was Julia telling Sarah Chuck was into her still, or Sarah telling Julia Chuck is a great guy. The first option didn't work for me, 'cause I didn't want it to be Julia the one who pointed out to Sarah Chuck's feelings, or opened up her eyes to her (Sarah's) feelings for Chuck. I think it will be best if Sarah sees that for herself, and makes the move on her own, instead of being "pushed" by someone else. The second option was already done with that Lou girl, and I ain't no copycat (not intentionally at least).

Other thing that I'd like to say is about the dream sequence. Come on! Everyone knows that it isn't really "Chuck" (the show) without the Powers That Be putting the girl who plays Sarah (forgot the actress name, and can't be bothered to google it right now) in some gratuitous show-of-skin scene. That actress sure is a great sport! So, I just followed tradition :D


	12. Chapter 12

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 12/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Long time, huh? I wanted to say I'm sorry for the massive amount of time you guys had to wait for this new chapter. You all know the tales of life and laziness, right? I don't need to fully explain lol

Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for the patience, and thanks for all the PMs I received encouraging me to keep going. I do have to confess that they were definitely a push towards start writing new material.

You are all great, and I really appreciated all the latest reviews!

Oh, almost forgot… **BillatWork, **on the lying thing you were talking to me about, I don't think it's that much ooc. Sarah's done it before about Bryce. So, I guess it could happen again :)

Without further ado here's the new chapter.

I hope you all enjoy, and don't think I'm too rusted :D

**Chapter XII**

"On three I will pull, ok?" she rhetorically asked, holding at one edge of the bandage.

Chuck simply nodded while holding his t-shirt up, exposing a bare abdomen. His eyes were semi-closed in anticipation. Bad anticipation.

"One, two…" she slowly counted ripping the bandage quickly before hitting number three.

"Ouch!" the curly haired guy winced.

"You're such a big baby," the woman said midst a playful smile, folding the used bandage.

"You said you'd only pull on three, Ellie," Chuck whined, but kept holding the t-shirt up.

"I've said that every time I changed your bandages in the last month. And every time you always fell for that," she teased, throwing the used bandage in the bathroom garbage nearby of where she was squatted.

"Well, excuse my naiveté and utter trust in my big sister's word," he sarcastically and yet jokingly put it, while seating on the edge of the bathtub right in front of Ellie.

"A big baby and a drama queen!" the brunette continued to tease inspecting the stitches.

Chuck smiled.

"The stitches look great, no sign of infection. I'll probably be able to take those off for you in a couple of days," she added, gently pressing her index finger around the stitched wound.

"Great. I can't wait to get rid of these itchy things," he said looking down at the stitches.

It had been a month and a half since Chuck left the hospital. The recovery from the shot wasn't easy, but he was lucky enough to have a sister who was also a doctor and who would make sure he was free from pain 24-7. This was a great deal for a guy like Chuck who had like no threshold for pain.

During his convalescent state a few things also had to be adjusted when it came to Chuck's job. Not at Buy More, of course. Concerning his job at the Buy More you get shot you stay off until you get better. Computers and other tech stuff can wait. Other people surely can take care of that. However, Chuck's other job, his secret one, couldn't be put off that simply. Bad guys and crimes can't wait. No other person possesses the knowledge stuck in Chuck's head.

The powers that be were far from happy that the Intersect "got damaged". Their exact choice of words. Sarah and Casey got an ear full about how they should have guarded him better, but they were glad enough that the missions weren't hazarded. Chuck wasn't able to go to missions with the agents, but the three of them managed to make it work with microscopic cameras and a laptop.

Chuck, who started his bed-stuck days very patient with how Sarah was denying her true feelings for him, now after almost two months and zero progression, found himself back to being frustrated. He was determined to give her more time, but this was beyond his worst estimates.

In all this time that passed, Sarah visited him, and they worked on missions together. But she was very careful not to be left alone with him; she avoided it like the plague. And at the few occasions they were actually alone she avoided eyes contact, and if he brought up the issue she simply evaded or denied everything. Yeah, it was more than safe to say that Chuck's patience definitely called her ugly sister impatience to take her place.

"Are you excited about getting back to work tomorrow?" Ellie asked while retrieving the anti-septic spray from the tub's edge.

"Yeah, doing absolutely nothing the whole day is fun for a while, but it gets old really fast. I've never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss my job," Chuck replied nostalgically.

"Well, our cousin's wedding is next week," she said while spraying the anti-septic on Chuck's stitches.

"So?" he asked handing her the new bandage that was right beside him.

"Remember? We RSVP'd, and our flights are already booked. I know you and Julia are no longer together, but you can take Morgan… or Sarah," she tried her luck, while taking out the spray excess with a cotton ball.

Chuck was about to protest, but she kept going.

"Or anyone else you choose. But, I really think that the change of air will do you good," she finished, placing the new bandage in place.

"First of all, Sarah is not an option, out of question…" he tried but was cut by his sister.

"I don't even want to hear the rest. Suit yourself; but you're going, and that's a doctor's order," the brunette finished, got up and fled the bathroom before Chuck could respond.

"But I don't want to go…" he whined to an empty bathroom.

"And you're not even my doctor," Chuck quickly added in clear defeat.

The rest of the day went by without anything eventful happening, and when morning came Chuck found himself happy for going back to work at Buy More. So, he put on the black slacks, white shirt, and tie, and off he went.

When he arrived at the store it seemed like nothing had changed. He took a little time at the entrance door to take a good look around and take in his surroundings. There was no denying, the Buy more felt like home. Chuck went ahead towards the Nerd Herd station, but there was no one there. On the station counter he saw a cake that read: "Welcome back Chu". Clearly a piece of cake – or two – had already been eaten, and like that the "ck" was gone. Chuck was startled by a female voice behind him.

"Oh, my God! I told you guys to wait for him to cut the cake. You're such pigs!" Anna fumed, looking very displeased.

"Welcome back, Chuck," she added, leaving the anger behind, and giving Chuck a rather contained hug.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. Big Mike and I couldn't resist the chocolate. Plus, my man Chuck doesn't mind, right? Welcome back, dude!" the bearded guy put it loudly while patting Chuck on the back.

"It's nice to be back, really nice. Thanks for the cake, or what's rest of it," he joked, smiling brightly at his friends.

"I missed this place," Chuck added, taking another good look around.

"I have a hard time believing anyone would miss this place," Lester said sarcastically.

"But it's good to see you, Chuck," he added quite genuinely.

"Yeah, totally man," Jeff managed to add.

"Thank you, guys. It means a lot coming from you," Chuck said, displaying his mega-watt typical smile.

"Yeah, I know it's nice to have Chuck back. Welcome, Bartowski. But work isn't short around here, so you all better get to it. And can anyone please get me another piece of that fine cake?" Big Mike roughly said, while rushing to his office.

Lester and Jeff went behind the Herd station to work, and Anna started cutting Big Mike another piece of cake.

"Ah, it seems like nothing changed," Chuck let out, pleased by the feeling of constancy.

"And it didn't, my friend. It didn't," Morgan said, patting Chuck once again on the back, and headed towards a customer.

Apparently things didn't change indeed, because right at that moment Chuck saw Casey discretely calling him to the break-room area. The brown eyed guy sighed, and went slowly to the NSA agent.

"Hey, Casey," Chuck said when he entered the room.

"Hey. I'm sorry, buddy. I forgot the 'Welcome Back' banner in the car. I even had hand painted it myself," the agent said sarcastically, with a smirk on his face.

"You know what? If you're going to…" Chuck said nonchalantly, while turning around to leave.

"Wait. No need to get your panties all in a bunch, Bartowski," Casey let out, sans smirk on his face.

Chuck stopped from leaving the room, and turned around back to Casey.

"A big baby and a drama queen," the agent said, simply unable to miss this one.

Chuck was caught by surprise with that one.

"Were you… I don't even want to know. If you don't have anything important to say to me, I'll just get to work," Chuck said, turning around to leave again.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you about the whole wedding thing," Casey went to the point.

"Not you, too. Of all people…" Chuck tried but was interrupted by the agent.

"Please, the last thing I want to do is discuss wedding stuff with you. But since you are obviously going, we can't let the Intersect out of our view for an entire weekend. Especially with Fulcrum on the loose. General orders," the NSA agent said, taking a seat at the couch.

"You want to go with me to wedding?" the nerd asked, unable to contain the shocked look on his face.

"Look at me, Bartowski. Do you picture me in a wedding? I don't do weddings," Casey stated firmly, accompanied by his best tough look.

"It's fine, I don't need a chaperone. I can take care of myself for a weekend, thank you very much," Chuck joked lightly, taking a seat at the coffee table.

"Not an option. The only reason the General is even letting you go is because you got shot on duty. See it like your one-time get out of jail free card, and I suggest you use it. Giving is not one of her usual qualities, if you know what I mean. You'll take agent Walker," the Major said without ceremony.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Chuck said a little unsure.

At one hand, Chuck had been dying to have some time alone with Sarah, after he got shot, to be able to confront her and press her about the true nature of her feelings for him. On the other hand, she had plenty of time to go to him and open up about everything. But all she did was avoiding him, and evading. It was clear she wasn't ready, and that was leaving Chuck frustrated and borderline mad. Chuck pondered if this wedding thing was a good idea. Maybe it could give her, it could give them the opportunity they needed. Maybe she was up to it.

"Does she know about this? Did she say she would go?" he added, interested by the possibility all of the sudden.

Chuck heard footsteps behind him; he turned around and saw Sarah herself entering the room.

Sarah was in her usual Weinerlicious uniform. Her hair was down, she wore flats, and there was nothing particularly unusual or special about her at that moment. But she still managed to take Chuck's breath away, and his heart began to beat faster the minute she walked into the room.

The blonde CIA agent looked calm, and a cute smile graced her face. Sarah was happy to see Chuck back at work. She was glad to see him back to what was normal to him. After he got shot everything she really wanted was to see him well, she wanted things to just go back to the way they were. And she was eager to tell him that. She was looking forward to a light and yet sincere exchange between the two of them. She knew the weight of her denial, inability, and impossibility to confess her feelings had put a heavy strain on their relationship. But she was happy for him and she wanted to let him know.

"Hi," she greeted Chuck, smiling even brighter.

"Hey," he replied, matching her full smile.

"I'm glad to see you back to work," the blonde offered sincerely, while tucking a strand of lose hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, it's nice to be not at my bed. A few more days and I'd probably develop sores," he joked in a flirtatious sort of tone.

Sarah grinned, and took a seat on the couch. Casey, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and couldn't look any more disgusted. He was about to interject, but Sarah bit him to the punch.

"How are the stitches coming along?" she asked with a mix of concern and interest in her eyes.

"Oh, Ellie said they look good. I should be able to take them off soon," Chuck promptly answered.

"Great. Do you…" Sarah tried but was cut off by an annoyed Casey.

"Please, enough with the chit-chat!" the NSA agent blurted out.

"These exchanges of yours should be studied and applied as a form of torture. I know I'd crack. Walker, you'll be babysitting little Chuckie here at his cousin's wedding in San Francisco next weekend," he added firmly.

"What?" she asked in surprise, rather blindsided by his statement.

Great! She didn't know, Chuck thought.

"The General allowed…" Casey started to say.

Chuck snorted loudly in reaction to the agent's phrasing. Casey ignored him, preferring to just shoot him a dirty look.

"She allowed him to leave the city for the weekend to attend the wedding. However, as you must know, the Intersect can't be out of sight especially now. It's too risky. That's when you come in," the Major finished.

"I… I don't think, uh, that's a good idea," Sarah said uncertainly, while taking her time to quickly steal a glance at Chuck who was at her right sitting on the coffee table.

Fantastic! She doesn't even want to go, Chuck completed the thought.

Sarah knew she couldn't spend a whole weekend with Chuck. She was having trouble maintaining her stand as it was. She didn't even wanted to imagine how tough it would be if she had to indeed go away with him… to a wedding of all places.

"There's no other way," Casey stated calmly.

The NSA agent got up from the couch.

"As of now you two are back together," he added, holding his right hand on the air and snapping his finger for sarcastic effect.

"Oh, the joy," Casey finished ironically, heading for the door.

"Wait. You can go with Chuck," Sarah tried in a desperate move.

Chuck couldn't believe what he was hearing. If he wasn't mistaken he could even sense Sarah's desperate tone. She really didn't want to go to this thing. His disbelief expression was not at all lost on Sarah, who every once in a while looked quickly in his direction to measure the damage she was causing.

"Yeah, right! I don't do weddings, plus the General let me in on a quick military mission on my down time. Lots of gun play," the agent said firmly and unable to disguise the excitement.

Chuck could no longer stand by silent on the matter.

"I agree with Sarah," he said louder that he had intended.

Both Sarah and Casey were caught by surprise. Sarah more than her partner.

"I don't want to take you… or Casey for that matter," he added confidently, standing up.

Sarah couldn't pretend those words didn't hurt her. Had he no idea that they would? She wondered. Suddenly she felt aggravated as much as Chuck did when she was the one protesting the idea of the trip.

Chuck and Sarah locked eyes as if Casey wasn't even in the room. Both were upset with one another, and the tension could be cut with a knife.

"And I don't want to go with him," she said defiantly, the fire burning in her eyes as she stood up.

"Ok, that's enough!" Casey said loudly, commanding the other two's attention.

"I don't know, and I care even less about what's going on here with you two. The fact is that this is work…" he continued in a lower tone, and emphasizing the last word.

"…and you both have to suck it up and put whatever this is behind you. You are going to this thing together and that's that," he finished, arching his right eyebrow for effect.

Chuck looked from Casey to Sarah, and back to Casey. Sarah looked from Casey to Chuck, and back to Casey. The moods of the three people in the room were altered.

"Fine!" Sarah mustered up the small amount of calmness she possessed at the moment and said, looking Chuck at in the eye.

"Good!" Chuck said in defiance, staring right back at her.

Sarah didn't feel like she was quite finished there.

"Great!" she added emphasizing her statement.

"Brilliant!" he said, unable to let her have the last word.

Their faces were merely inches apart at that point. The tension was so high that a knife was no longer necessary, a mere breathe could cut it. Sarah felt her cheeks burning up, and Chuck felt light headed as all of his blood seemed to be at his head. If Morgan were in the room he would describe the moment as plain hot.

"Yeah, yeah… I guess we all got the point. Now if you excuse me I have a duplex fridge to move," Casey said very calmly, and headed for the door.

As he was about to exit, he said to himself more than to anyone else,

"Nobody messes with my gun play time."

Chuck got a hold of himself, and Sarah took a deep breath.

"I guess, uh, I'll send you the details about the trip later," he said cheaply.

"That would be… that would be fine," she replied in the same tone.

And off they went to their respective works. Although both would replay in their heads everything that was said and done in that room all day. Both would regret things that they had said, both would try to come up with better things that they could have said in particular moments of the argument… Wiser minds would say that the course of true love never did run smooth.

**TBC.**

**A/N:** I love scenes where there are so many things kept inside, so many things that should be said but are left unsaid, you know? All the tension that it generates always struck a chord for me. All these emotions keep boiling up… until it explodes. I guess I've boiled enough, huh? lol Be prepared for the soon explosion. Next chapter you'll get Chuck and Sarah back to their boyfriend/girlfriend cover and at a wedding! So many possibilities…

I promise not to take so long with the next installment. Hope you guys enjoyed this one!

Again, thanks for hanging in :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 13/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to leave a review! It's great to read the feedback, and your thoughts on how things are progressing. I love when you specify your favorite passage of the chapter. Anyhow… a few things I have to say:

a) This is supposed to take place on a Friday. Saturday will be the rehearsal dinner, and Sunday the wedding (probably one chapter for each event).

b) I promised it wouldn't take too long for this update, and I'd like to say that the only reason it too this much is because this chapter is substantially longer. Like, huge. I guess your wish was granted, huh, **ghst1941**? I was going to break the chapter up in three, but I figured you guys would beat me if I left the story TBC where I was intending to. So, the extra waiting period was for the best in my opinion :)

c) This is not important, but I'd like to say this is by far my personal favorite chapter. I hope you guys enjoy as much as I did writing it!

And, finally, this chapter is completely and totally dedicated to my dear friend, **kev525**! See? No reason for jealousy now lol By the way, did you get my last email? I haven't heard from you in a while…

**Chapter XIII**

It was almost eight when Chuck, Sarah, Ellie and Awesome arrived to San Francisco. Their flight was very calm and uneventful. Besides Chuck's pout, Sarah's annoyance, Ellie's fear of flying, and Awesome's snoring, that is. When they landed, they rented a car at the airport and drove to the B&B the wedding was going to be held at.

The B&B was located a few miles from the actual city of San Francisco, it was charming and cozy. Not very big, but not small either. It had a big bright green lawn in the front, with several trees spread across it; and a driveway in form of an arch, with a fountain in center. When Awesome pulled over at the place, everyone was in desperate need of a good leg stretching.

"Finally!" said Awesome, turning the engine of the car off.

"I was starting to get some serious cabin fever here," the Captain added, while unbuckling his seat belt.

"On our way back I drive, honey," Ellie offered from the passenger seat, doing the same to her belt.

"No. Don't worry, sis. The drive back is all mine," Chuck politely said from the back seat.

"Aw… Thank you, my favorite brother," the brunette replied, looking back at her brother and his girlfriend with a smile on her face.

"Don't mention. I offer 'cause I'm certain none of us here wish to die so young," he joked, while unbuckling his own seat belt.

Sarah, who had already freed herself from the seat belt, smiled at the siblings' teasing. And even 'though she had protested vehemently about coming to this trip, she always felt at easy around her fake boyfriend's family. In fact, she even enjoyed their normalcy and warmness. This occasion was no different.

Awesome, who went to open the trunk, laughed as well.

"I am appalled!" Ellie said in a fake over-indignation tone to Chuck, looking jokingly at him between semi-closed eyes.

The four of them now were all out of the car and near the trunk to unload it.

"And you, my dear fiancé, laughing over there. Thank you very much for backing me up," she added midst a soft smile.

"You are an awesome driver, babe," Awesome said opening the trunk.

"Nice try… Too little, too late," the brunette said, hugging her fiancé's middle.

Awesome responded by kissing the top of her head.

Sarah and Chuck both felt awkward by the couple's display of closeness. They were also supposedly a couple; they also should be all lovey-dovey with each other. Sarah waited to see if Chuck would make a move, you know, to secure their cover.

They were standing side by side, so she gave him a look. He saw the look and got the look. She wanted him to make a move. Why was he the one who had to make the move? Chuck wondered. She didn't even want to be here. At that point their cover was the last thing Chuck cared about.

So, he shot a look back at her… and did nothing. She got the message alright.

Sarah absently crossed her arms, and after a few seconds Chuck did the same unconsciously.

He is so stubborn, she thought.

That woman is as stubborn as one can get, he thought.

Awesome reached for his one small piece of luggage in the trunk and picked it up. Ellie was about to do the same.

"It's ok, honey. I got it," he said, while picking up Ellie's two big bags.

It was beyond Awesome's comprehension the reason why his fiancé needed two big bags for a three days event. Everything – and more – he could possibly need fitted with plenty of room in a rather small bag. Not that he would mention this musing of his to Ellie, of course.

Sarah reached for her own luggage, and was surprised when Chuck's hand brushed against hers and quickly grabbed the handle before she could do so. The gesture, especially after their previous unspoken showdown, moved her. It made her feel better inside, despite her own reservations on the matter.

"Allow me," Chuck said in a low tone, looking directly into her eyes.

Sarah backed out a bit to let him take her two bags. Chuck, not as gracefully as Awesome, grabbed her bags and his. The heavy weight was clearly something Chuck wasn't accustomed to, and it showed; but in the end he was able to hold his own.

Ellie grabbed the keys from Awesome's hand and closed the trunk. The fiancés took the lead heading to the B&B. Chuck and Sarah were right behind them.

"Thank you," Sarah genuinely said also in a low tone to Chuck, while flashing him a shy smile.

Both knew the 'thank you' wasn't simply for the bags. It was also for letting go of the rift, at least for that moment, therefore holding more meaning.

Chuck didn't say anything, but he knew exactly the complete meaning behind her words. He just sincerely smiled back at her.

"And I'm sorry. I don't normally over pack like this," the blonde added, feeling like she had to justify herself.

"I was bringing only one bag, but then I realized that it looked like I knew what I was doing. Then it occurred to me that maybe I wasn't bringing everything that I would need, and then it hit me that I actually wasn't sure what I should really bring," she continued babbling nervously.

Chuck looked at Sarah walking by his side, and her nervousness somehow took his guard down for a moment. He was the one who usually was in that position and the reversal of roles threw him off a bit. The vulnerability in her demeanor, the look in her eyes… at that time he was finding it hard to be mad at her.

"Hey," he said commanding her attention.

And her attention he got it, 'cause her piercing blue eyes dove directly into his.

"It's fine. Really," Chuck added, followed by an unintentional charm smile.

Intentional or unintentional, Sarah was pleased by it. More than she would have liked to, and that fact brought her back to reality. So, she quickly severed eye contact. This was a dangerous road to go down to, she couldn't make that mistake.

Chuck, on the other end, was no longer a rookie to this game. He picked up on that step back. The step back that _she_ took. And that was enough of a reality check as it could get. He mentally chastised himself for allowing being again in the same position.

The couples walked across the modern and yet warm lobby, and headed to the reception desk.

"Hi! We're here for the Pierce-Mitchell wedding," Ellie politely said to the guy behind the desk.

"Right. I'm Bruce, welcome to the Lake Shore B&B! What are the names, so I can check you guys in?" he asked also very politely.

"Oh, it must be under Bartowski. I'm Eleanor… Ellie Bartowski," she answered presto.

Bruce started pushing buttons on his computer's keyboard.

"Found you, Eleanor Bartowski plus Devon," he said, looking at the monitor.

"And you must be Charles and Julia," he continued, looking at Chuck and Sarah.

The four people shared a look of awkwardness mixed with surprise, but before Chuck could say anything Ellie stepped up.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, with everything that happened to Chuck, I completely spaced out to call and change his plus one name," the brunette awkwardly said, looking from Bruce to the pretend couple.

"It's ok, sis," Chuck said to Ellie, recovering from the incident.

"This is actually Sarah. Sarah Walker," he added, looking from Sarah to Bruce.

"There's no problem. I'll just quickly switch here, and you're all checked in," the receptionist said after sensing a strong issue vibe from the guests which he clearly wanted to dodge asap, so he corrected the name on the computer.

"Ok, you two are in room 33," he said to Ellie and Awesome.

"And you in 34. Right next to each other," he concluded, looking at Chuck and Sarah.

"Great!" Ellie stated, glad the awkward moment had passed.

"I'll just call the guys to take your bags upstairs," he added, motioning with one hand for two guys that were in the back of the lobby to approach.

"The wedding party is already gathered in the bar-lounge area for a casual cocktail, if you wish to join them. But you'll find the entire wedding itinerary in a folder at each of your rooms," the middle-aged receptionist said politely.

The two men obliged immediately.

"Please, lead the way to the Bartowskis. Room 33 and 34," Bruce said, handing the guys the respective keys.

The bell boys took the bags and were ready to go when Awesome interjected.

"I left the car parked in the driveway. Could someone…," the doctor stated, but was cut by the receptionist.

"Say no more. I'm sorry about that, our valet got sick a few minutes ago and had to be sent home; so, we were caught off guard. But just hand me the key and I'll ask one of the bell boys to drive it to the parking lot," Bruce said, with an apologetic smile on his face.

"No problem. That would be awesome," the captain said, while Ellie handed Bruce the car keys.

"I'll send them back to you in a few," Bruce concluded.

The foursome followed the bell boys upstairs. And all the way up Sarah couldn't stop thinking about the incident at the lobby. So, when Casey and Chuck practically forced her to come to this trip, they simply forgot to mention the tiny detail that these were Chuck and Julia's plans. 

She was feeling like a mere stand-in for the big star. A feeling that wasn't going down so well. And the part of her that was actually secretly happy about coming, now felt foolish. Even if these thoughts and feelings were in reality very irrational, and things she wasn't entitled to feel or think. After all Chuck and she were nothing but pretend… and by her choice, by the way. The bottom line was Sarah Walker did not whatsoever enjoyed the feelings of jealousy. But then again, who did?

Each couple entered their room and properly tipped their bell boy. The rooms were identical besides the color palette, both beautiful and cozy. They had big windows with a view of the lawn in the front, a king sized bed with plush comforters, a small sofa with a couple of armchairs to match, and a reasonable sized private bathroom. This clearly wasn't coming cheap for the bride and groom.

After they got settled, and unpacking was no longer an item on their to-do list, Chuck and Sarah heard a knocking on a door inside of their own room. They shared puzzled looks, and the door sprung open.

"Hi!" said Ellie, with a smiling face.

"Isn't this great? Our rooms are connected," the brunette added.

At that moment Chuck's plans of sleeping on the sofa went down the drain. There was no way Sarah would allow him to do so, and risk compromising their cover. He swore to himself that he wouldn't pass of as Sarah's boyfriend in real life anymore, that it was too damaging for his fragile feelings. But here he was again, apparently there was no escape.

"Yeah, that's… uh, great," Chuck said, unable to disguise his otherwise feelings – to Sarah, that is; Ellie was oblivious to it.

"Are you two ready to head down?" Ellie asked.

"Sure," Sarah answered, running a hand through her shiny blonde locks.

After getting directions to the bar lounge area with an employee the two couples arrived there. At the entrance there was this beautiful silver easel with a white poster in fancy silver letters that read: "Welcome to Graham Pierce & Melissa Mitchell's Wedding Festivities". There were people sitting at tables chatting, people walking around mingling, people sitting at the bar, and all that party jazz. It wasn't crowded, but there was plenty people. Some of those faces were familiar to Chuck and Ellie.

While the four of them stood there, kind of unsure of where to head to or what to do, an attractive couple in their late 20's came to their direction.

"Hi, you guys!" greeted energetically the redhead, smiling ear to ear.

"Hey, Mel!" Ellie said matching her tone, midst a smile.

Melissa kissed her on the cheek.

"How are you two? I'm so glad you were able to come," she genuinely said, keeping the smile on her face.

"Oh, the pleasure is ours really. Congratulations, by the way," the brunette woman said.

Chuck, Sarah and Awesome just kept standing there. In reality Chuck was more than glad to let his sister do the social thing by herself.

"Thank you! Oh, this is my husband-to-be, Graham Pierce. I don't believe you two have already met him," Melissa said, placing her hand on Graham's back.

"Pleasure to meet you," the raven haired groom said to Ellie, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"You, too," she politely replied, flashing him a cute smile.

"Nice to meet you, too," Graham said to Chuck, shaking his hand.

"Same here," Chuck said with a smile on his face, partaking on the shake.

"This is my fiancé, Devon Carter," Ellie introduced Awesome to the bride and groom.

They shared the appropriate kisses on the cheek, handshakes and words of delicacy.

Chuck felt this was the time for him to step up and do his end of the introducing process. I'm so bad at these things, he thought. On the other end he was kind of excited to introduce as his girlfriend someone he had actually strong feelings for. Someone he didn't _have_ to introduce, but someone he _wanted_ to introduce as his girlfriend not only to this rather small crowd but to the whole world. And this someone was Sarah.

But in reality he knew she wasn't really his girlfriend. She was merely doing her job standing right next to him. And that felt extremely pathetic to him at that moment. Pathetic and innerving, 'cause knowing her true feelings for him, this didn't have to be his reality, it didn't have to be their reality. He could be introducing her for real as his girlfriend if she could only own up to the truth. They didn't have to be living a lie like this.

Emerging from his thoughts Chuck did what he had to do. He always did what he had to do. So, he introduced Sarah, who already was on the edge with Chuck's delay in introducing her.

"And this is my girlfriend…" Chuck said, taking the time to quickly look at Sarah while speaking that last word.

It felt so right saying that… but at that same time it felt so wrong. For both of them. It was very bittersweet, and at the exact moment his eyes made that quick contact with hers the two of them felt it. And they both knew the other was feeling the same way. A meaningful, and yet brief, moment was shared by Chuck and Sarah.

Sarah felt like dropping the whole act and just kiss him right then and right there. She could actually feel the cracks on her wall getting wider and wider by the second. What she was afraid of when this trip first presented itself was starting, and she feared she wouldn't be able to stop it. Thankfully Chuck's words got her out of her introspection section.

"Sarah, Sarah Walker," the brown eyed nerd added firmly.

Nobody seemed to notice the subtle exchange between Chuck and Sarah. So, they went ahead and followed the same greeting pattern as before.

"So Ellie, you're engaged, huh? I guess you're next, right? Have you and Devon set a date yet?" Melissa asked interested, still keeping a wide smile.

"No, not yet. We're still searching for the right one, right honey?" Ellie answered, looking at Awesome for confirmation.

He nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find the perfect one. And I guess it's safe to say that by now I'm an expert on wedding stuff; so, if you need anything just give me a call, ok?" Melissa offered sincerely.

"Thanks, I will," Ellie answered politely.

"Well, again, nice of you to come! As you may guess the duties of the bride and the groom never stop. So, if you excuse us, Graham and I have to continue to circle; but, please, enjoy the drinks and the food," the woman said in a joking tone.

Chuck, Sarah, Ellie and Awesome all nodded and smiled in understanding. But, as she was leaving, Melissa turned around for one last statement.

"Oh, Chuck and Ellie, daddy is somewhere here mingling. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you two," Melissa added, leaving them with an endearing smile on her face.

"Well, Mel's certainly nicer than I remembered," Chuck said to the other three.

"Yeah, it seems she outgrew her brat phase," Ellie replied with a smile.

"Should we sit and have something?" the brunette added.

They all agreed, and sat at a table near the bar. Awesome and Ellie at one side, Chuck and Sarah at the other.

"What are we drinking?" Awesome asked, while stroking Ellie's back in affection.

"I'm in the mood for some wine. How about you, Sarah?" Ellie answered.

"Actually, so am I," Sarah said with a friendly smile on her face.

"Okay, I'll go and fetch. Care to give me a hand, Awesome?" Chuck said, while standing up.

"Sure," the captain replied, while doing the same.

"Great! Two glasses of wine coming right up. Red or white?" he asked, towering over Sarah and Ellie.

"Red," the ladies answered unintentionally in unison.

The two women laughed at the incident, and the guys smiled.

"We'll be right back. Try not to talk about us so much," Awesome joked midst a wide smile.

"Yeah, right… Like you guys are all that we ever think and talk about," Ellie joked back, matching her fiancés smile.

Sarah and Chuck were smiling as well, and like that the guys were off to the bar.

"Since Devon brought this up, I've been meaning to tell you how glad I am that you and my brother are back together," the brunette woman sincerely said.

Sarah was caught a bit off guard by the woman's statement. Personal talks weren't exactly one of her strongest suits. Well, actually, they weren't at all one of them.

"Yes, so am I," the blonde managed to say, and at some level this wasn't a lie.

At that moment, Sarah and Ellie turned their attention to the guys -- their guys -- at the bar ordering their drinks. They were talking to the bartender and smiling for some reason their ear range couldn't quite grasp.

"Listen, if Chuck catches me saying this he kills me, but I think I must. You mean a lot to him. The last time I saw him care this much about someone was with Jill. It's been too long, you see. Well, he really cares about you, Sarah," Ellie said softly and looked straight into Sarah's eyes.

Sarah took in those words, and they began to mix with her view of Chuck's smiling face. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for the blonde, but in a blink of an eye – which seemed like an eternity for her – she snapped out of the 'trance'.

"I know…" she said a bit in a choke with a blank face.

"I know," she repeated, this time able to throw in a genuine smile for Ellie's sakes.

Ellie smiled back, sensing her words had an effect on Sarah. She was satisfied she was able to give Chuck a helping hand. After all, watching over her little brother always came as an instinct to her for a long time now.

Sarah knew this little fact, but hearing it from someone else's mouth hit her harder that she had ever expected. There was no point denying this any longer if only to herself, she cared for Chuck as well. Probably as much as he did for her. The last thing she ever wanted was to hurt him, but now she feared she was doing exactly this. The mess she had got herself into was so enormous that made her head spin. How she had let herself be in this position she didn't know. This was plainly inadmissible for any self-respectable agent. This mission Agent Sarah Walker had failed.

"Here," Chuck said, handing Sarah her wine, and bringing her back from her thoughts.

"Thank you," she said, looking him in the eye with an expression he was unable to peg.

Chuck wanted to ask what they were talking about, because clearly something brought that look to her eyes. But ultimately he thought it was better to let it be, the ladies would never disclose the truth, anyway.

"We seized the opportunity and brought some great looking stuff from the buffet table," Awesome said, placing two plates full of appetizers on the table.

"Thanks, honey," Ellie said, taking a sip of her wine.

They talked a while about nothing of consequence, while drinking and eating. Comfortable small talk filled with some laughs and smiles along the way.

"Hmm… I don't know what it's called, but this little salty thing here is amazing!" Ellie gushed, holding the half-eaten appetizer in question.

"If the basil weren't overpowering the prosciutto's taste just a bit I'd say this was perfect," she added in a very amateur cook kind of way.

"Yeah, it is a little too harsh, isn't it?" Sarah agreed, also holding a half-eaten appetizer of the same kind.

Chuck, holding his beer, looked pointedly at Sarah, and she didn't quite catch why.

"Maybe the basil appears to be that harsh because the prosciutto is holding back on its true flavor, you know, like hiding it," he said a little bit louder and more passionate than he had intended.

Chuck didn't know exactly where this came from. He figured the emotions have been feeling the cup for a long time, and now it just overflew.

Sarah shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Although his pointed look she had not got seconds ago, she was not that lucky with this oh-not-so-subtle metaphor. However, she felt complied to defend herself beyond her means; so, she turned to face him.

"Well, maybe the prosciutto knows what's best for both of them…" Sarah said matching his tone.

After saying that she looked over at the couple across the table, and saw the puzzled looks on their faces.

"As a dish," she added looking at the fiancés, feeling the need to give more sense to this irrational discussion.

Then she snapped her head right back to Chuck. Her real target. You can take the girl out of the Agency, but you can never take the agent out of the girl.

"Maybe, just maybe, the basil should be able to decide for itself," Chuck said, straightening the gap between his and Sarah's face.

These hot showdowns were becoming a constant for the nerd and the agent.

"And…" the blonde tried more than ready to go on with the match, but was cut by Awesome.

"Wow, you guys sure are passionate about your food, huh?" he said, laughing a little and taking a sip of his beer.

Ellie just sat there looking amused and frankly a little lost, while Chuck steadied himself by taking a deep breath, and Sarah took a bigger sip of her wine.

Awesome tried to cut the tension that was on the air.

"So, babe, what's the story with Melissa the bride? I barely recall you mentioning her," he asked not really interested, but uneasy enough to try.

Chuck and Sarah seemed to have gotten a hold onto themselves, and even exchanged a couple of unreadable looks.

"Well, Chuck and I were never really close to her. Her dad, Uncle Tom, is my dad's cousin. So, he isn't actually our uncle and Mel our cousin, but since dad never had any siblings and was very close to Uncle Tom, we just went along with it," Ellie answered calmly.

"Right," Awesome said, glad the tension had dissipated.

Sarah, on the other hand, a bit afraid of topics to come, felt the need to escape for a while.

"I'll grab something at the buffet table. Anyone wants something?" she asked already standing up.

Ellie said 'no', and the guys shook the same with their heads. So, off she went.

Ellie shot Chuck a pointed look, and he needed no caption to get that one.

"I know, I know… I'm coming," he said, before leaving the table.

Sarah was standing by the buffet table with a napkin in hand; ready to grab an appetizer more for appearance than hunger. Well, all for appearance as a matter of fact. She didn't feel like eating anything.

"I wouldn't go for that one," came Chuck's voice from behind her.

She turned around to face him.

"Olives inside," he simply added, with a shy smile on his face.

Sarah smiled back.

"Thanks," she said cheaply, looking at her feet for a second.

"Look, about before… I'm sorry, I…" Chuck honestly stated in a soft tone, but was cut by Sarah.

"No, I'm sor…" she interjected also in a soft tone, shortening the distance between them, but also getting cut by a man who came from behind Chuck.

"Chuck!" the man exclaimed, making Chuck turn around.

"Uncle Tom!" Chuck exclaimed back, and a big smile graced his features.

Tom pulled Chuck in for a tight hug.

"Finally found you. How are you doing, kiddo? I just checked in with your sister," the charismatic man in his late 50's enthusiastically said, matching Chuck's wide smile.

"I'm fine, you know… Congratulations to the father of the bride, by the way. And how are you doing?" Chuck asked interested.

"Thanks. I'm doing great, as great as one can do approaching the 6.0 mark," the grey haired Tom joked.

Chuck chuckled.

"Wow, it is great seeing you, Uncle Tom. It's been a long time," Chuck honestly said, putting one hand at the man's shoulder.

"Yeah, I believe since Jim's, you know…" Tom said, his face losing the easy smile.

Chuck nodded, and Sarah – despite not having an Intersect in her head – flashed on Chuck's dossier that she practically memorized when she first began this CIA assignment. She distinctly remembered reading: "Subject: Charles Irving Bartowski. Son of: James Andrew Bartowski and…" So, she knew who they were talking about.

"I know I took that hard, kid… Jim was like a brother to me. And I know I should have been more present for you and Ellie," Tom sincerely said, looking into Chuck's eyes.

"I understand, really, Uncle Tom," Chuck replied also very genuinely, with an understanding smile in place.

Sarah stood there behind Chuck, realizing this was a sensitive subject for both men. So, she just kept quiet.

Tom noticed the beautiful blonde standing behind Chuck. The one he was talking to when he arrived, and who was trying hard to let them have their moment. He also noticed a distinctive look on the woman's face. That was a knack Tom always had, he really knew how to read people.

"But I always kept tabs on both of you. For instance, aren't you going to properly introduce me to Julia?" the older man said, moving to Sarah's side and charmingly smiling at her.

"Oh, no. This isn't Julia. This is Sarah," Chuck said a bit awkwardly, looking from Tom to Sarah over and over.

Sarah couldn't believe it was happening again. Wherever the woman was at this moment, Sarah wasn't feeling so keen on her.

"Oh, sorry. Apparently I haven't been keeping a close tab as I thought," Tom joked light heartily.

"No, it's fairly recent, uh, I mean… Sarah is my ex. No, I mean, Sarah is my girlfriend. I dated her before Julia, and after that was over we got back together," Chuck stuttered while feeling very foolish.

"Well, either way I'm pleased to meet you, Sarah," Tom charmingly said, before kissing the back of her hand.

"Same here," the blonde replied, granting Tom a full blown smile.

She didn't know why, but she liked the man instantly. He reminded her of someone. His genuine smile, his niceness… She couldn't quite put her finger on whom 'though.

"You chose well, kid. This one here certainly has got the looks…" the Uncle put it, patting Chuck on the back.

"But more important was the way she looked at you a while back when we were catching up. Yes, I've noticed. That kind of look means something… Good looks, you know, come and go, but when someone looks at you like that… You hold on to them," he concluded flashing a knowing and genuine smile to the young couple.

Sarah blushed, and Chuck looked like a deer caught in the headlight. Sarah looked at the grey haired man's smile, and then, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Tom reminded her of someone alright. He reminded her of Chuck. No wonder she took a liking for him instantly. Not that she was willing to delve on that fact, of course.

Tom, gifted as he was, knew the couple needed some alone time.

"Anyway, I'm thrilled to see you, kiddo! We'll talk more later, ok?" the older man said right before he left.

Chuck and Sarah looked like the picture of awkward. He was divided whether he was feeling good or angry. Good because, come on, even other people could see in Sarah's face that she liked him. And angry because there she was… all he wanted, but wasn't allowed to have. Despite the fact that she wanted it too. These feelings were in fact becoming the theme of the day for Chuck. Sarah, on the other hand, was feeling plain embarrassed.

Neither knew exactly what to say while standing there next to each other. They were just standing still looking at one another. Chuck gave up on choosing which of those two feelings was overpowering the other. Frankly, he was feeling very exhausted, physically and mentally. After a rather long uncomfortable silence, he decided to step up and say something. Obviously, he would stay away from the one thing they should be talking about.

"I'm feeling beat, and you? Should we call it a night?" Chuck asked, while sticking his hands inside of his pockets.

"Yeah…" it was all she managed to answer barely audibly, in between a quick look down at her feet.

What she was actually thinking was "yes, please". At that moment all she wanted to do was dig a whole and stick her head along with those stupid eyes in it. She was becoming too reckless.

"Let's just tell Ellie and Awesome we're off to our room," he said, leading the way back to their table after she nodded.

Ellie and Awesome were seating at the table facing each other, talking, smiling and enjoying the other's company.

"Hey, guys. Sarah and I are calling a night," Chuck stated calmly.

"Yeah? Are you sure?" Ellie asked looking from her brother to the blonde.

"Yes, we're tired. We had enough for today," the brown eyed guy replied, inferring much more than his sister would ever get.

Sarah simply smiled in confirmation to her "boyfriend's" statement. Unlike Ellie, she got the whole meaning behind it. And she agreed 100. It was one hell of a day.

"Can't wait to hit the sack with your girl, huh, tiger?" Awesome joked, smiling widely.

"Devon!" Ellie chastised, turning around to shoot him a pointed look.

"Don't pay any attention to him," she added, turning back to face the couple.

"Well, it's like he sees right through me," Chuck said with sarcasm and displaying a weak smile.

Sarah managed to come up with a forced half-smiled and a characteristic 'no' head-shake.

"I think we'll stay a while longer. Have a great night, and see you two tomorrow," Ellie said before the couple took off.

Chuck and Sarah entered their room. And, although the awkwardness about not only the "meaningful look" incident, but the entire "we are a real couple" charade, had dissipated a little, it was still very much there.

"I think I'll take a quick shower before going to sleep," he said, while walking towards the dresser.

"Ok, after you're finished, I guess I'll take one, too," she answered softly, taking a seat on the bed.

Chuck retrieved some clothes from the dresser. They had both unpacked earlier. He got the two bottom drawers, and she got the three first ones. Plus a bit of the small closet, which he only hung a suit.

"Uh, if you want you can go in first," he politely offered, unable to stop himself from being nice to her.

He was still weighting his present opposite feelings. Since he wasn't feeling like talking to her all that much, he gathered anger must have been winning. But then, he couldn't help but to be nice to her. _Always the gentleman. _So, gathering again he'd say the good feeling was still stuck in the back of his head. The complication of it all made him crave a hot shower even more.

Sarah smiled. _Always the gentleman._ But politely declined.

So, he got into the bathroom, and she made herself comfortable turning on the tv and flipping through channels on top of the bed.

After approximately 15 minutes, Chuck opened the door of the bathroom and got out midst a wave of steam wearing grey sweats and a white worn-down "Working Class Hero" t-shirt.

"It's all yours," he proclaimed, looking at her lying figure on the bed.

"Great," she replied while getting up.

Chuck looked concentrated from the bed to the sofa, and again he could feel the scale tipping towards mad. So, he figured this was worth the shot; even 'though he knew the answer already.

"I'll go ahead and take the sofa," he hesitantly tried the waters, looking as nonchalant as possible.

Sarah, who was grabbing her stuff in the dresser, stopped at her tracks. However, she didn't turn around to face him. This thing was hard enough as it was.

"You know you can't do that. Especially when we've got a joined room with your sister, and her fiancé. We gotta maintain our cover," she explained softly, still facing away from him.

Chuck knew the answer, but still ticked him off to hear it from her mouth. Haven't he been punished enough? Now he had to lie beside her, too? And not be able to touch her, not be able to kiss her? This was getting way out of control.

"Fine," Chuck said with noticeable resentment in his voice, before he let his body fall on the bed.

It pained Sarah to hear him like that, but she found herself tied up. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't act on her impulses, otherwise she would just say everything she had ever wanted to say but couldn't. So, she went to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Still unable to look at his direction.

25 minutes later, she walked out midst an even bigger wave of steam, wearing a black satin short nightgown. However, this time around, things were completely different from the last time she and Chuck shared the same bed. There were no candles lit providing a romantic ambiance, there was no music playing creating a pleasant atmosphere, and above all, there was no eager Chuck waiting like a kid on Christmas Eve for her arrival. Instead, when she opened the bathroom's door, all the lights were out, so was the tv, and Chuck was already under the comforter. She could feel him slipping through her fingers, and it felt awful.

Sarah felt… disappointed, and sad. Not that she was expecting something, but she wasn't expecting this either. This utter cold shoulder from him. She walked over to the bed, and stood there for a while looking at him lying on his back under the comforter. She noticed his eyes were tightly and forcefully pressed closed, and there was definitely movement underneath his eyelids. It didn't take a genius, or a spy, to figure out he was faking been asleep. Suddenly, Sarah felt something strange taking over her body. She could actually feel it rushing through her head. It didn't take long for her to recognize the feeling. It was anger.

Sarah pulled down the comforter and got into bed. She turned so she was facing away from him. She tried to control herself, get a hold of her temper, but her heart was racing, and she found she couldn't go any longer without saying something.

"You know, if you are going to fake sleep, you should at least try to do a better job at it," she said with a voice loaded of irony.

Chuck sighed, opened his eyes, and turned around so he was facing away from her. He wasn't going to reply anything, but also felt an urge to do so.

"Well, you should know, shouldn't you?" he replied, matching her tone.

Silence fell upon them. Sarah just laid there facing right with eyes wide open. Chuck just laid there facing left with eyes wide open. Her mind started to wonder. Why can't I do this? Why would it be so bad to pursue my own personal happiness? Why should I give it up? Why do I even have to choose between one or the other? Can't I have both? Would it be so bad? Would it be so wrong? 'Cause it feels like it would be so right. It feels like it's the right and natural thing to do.

Suddenly, all of the strong reasons, and all of the answers she knew by heart that recommended against this, vanished from her head. Never underestimate the power of a good rationalization. And that was the moment Sarah Walker let it all go.

"Rebecca," she said without turning around, in such a low tone that not even Chuck made out what she had said.

He was still pouting, but decided not to ignore her mumble.

"Did you say something?" he managed to ask without ceremony, and without turning around either.

"My real name," Sarah said a bit louder but still very softly, before turning around to face his back.

The sentence instantly got Chuck's attention, so he turned around as well to face her.

There they wound up, lying and facing each other with mere inches between their faces.

She mustered up the courage to carry on.

"I said my real name is Rebecca," she added looking straight into his brown eyes.

Chuck was flabbergasted. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It crossed his mind the words Karina had spoken in, what it seemed like, an eternity ago. How spies never want you to know anything about them that is real. No matter whom you are. It also crossed his mind how at that same day he tried to squeeze out of Sarah something real about her. And how he failed miserably. This revelation meant something, it meant a lot.

So, he looked at Sarah for a long while, and Sarah looked back at him. It felt like the moment was frozen. Chuck took the time to study her features and take it all in. She was so beautiful… The type of beauty that hurts, you know. A strand of her shiny blonde hair was falling over her piercing blue eyes, which somehow, looked even bluer to Chuck as he gazed into them at that occasion. Her face seemed so open, so vulnerable staring back at him that he couldn't help himself.

Chuck slowly placed his hand on the back of her neck, and the feeling alone of her hair brushing against his skin made him breathe heavier. He wondered if she could hear his heart pounding, 'cause he was sure the whole hotel could hear the loud sound that rang in his ears. He pulled her close as the same time himself leaned in. He took the opportunity to look in her eyes one more time before gunning in for his goal, and what he found was exactly what he was looking for. Confirmation that she wanted this as much as he did. And just like that his lips crashed into her perfect pink ones.

She also put her hand on the back of his neck, gripping passionately his voluminous curly hair. The kiss started soft, unlike their first one, and they could feel their bodies tingling already. As it progressed, Sarah took the lead in deepening it. Chuck, more than gladly, followed her. Sliding his hand from the back of her neck down to the small of her back. He seized the opportunity to pull her even closer, closer to the point that their bodies were firmly pressed against one another.

When breathing became an issue, and they parted lips briefly for air, Sarah took the chance to roll over him before the making out session was back in action. Chuck noticed things were getting steamier.

"We don't… have to do this… you know, if you're not ready," he managed to let out between quick kisses.

He mentally kicked himself for saying that; after all, he wanted this so badly for so long. However, he didn't want to risk something that was already so fragile. He would kill himself if he rushed this for his sake, and she wound up regretting it all.

"We've been dating on and off for a year now. I believe we're good to go," Sarah said half-jokingly, towering over him in her straddling-Chuck position.

Chuck flashed Sarah his full blown, megawatt Chuck trademark smile. The one she had been missing for a long time. He lifted his torso from bed, placed both hands on her back, and swiftly exchanged their positions. Now she was at the bottom, and he was on top of her. The sudden movement made her giggle. A sound Chuck never heard from her before, but one he would always remember he loved from the start.

"Ok, then," he said before kissing her again, and while pulling the comforter over the two of them.

They made love. And, like most of new things, it started a bit awkward, and clumsy. But after a while, after they found their common rhythm, after they got a hang of the other person's body, their cadency, things ran smoothly. The whole time they were making love Chuck's eyes were glued to hers; several times her hand or his hand would find the hand of the other, intertwining their fingers, or merely clasping both hands tight. She felt like all he wanted was to make her happy, that making her happy made him happy as well. The same was true for her. All she wanted was to make him happy, and making him happy made her happy. And in that amazingly perfect cycle nobody ever loses. Sarah discovered they had chemistry but, more important, she experienced something she never shared with anyone else before, not even Bryce. Intimacy.

**A/N: **Hope you all enjoyed! More cuteness promised for the next few chapters. Oh, and I didn't know Awesome's last name. I don't believe they mentioned; so, I made it up. Sorry if they did and I missed somehow. And hope you guys enjoy the choice for Sarah's real name. Since the issue was brought up on the show I started wondering what it would be her real name, and decided she looked like a Rebecca to me. What do you guys think her real name is? Anyone thought the same as me?

Almost forgot... **BillAtWork, **I'll be answering your PM in a few, ok? Haven't forgot, or am ignoring it :)

Tootles! (you know this is for you lol)


	14. Chapter 14

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 14/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**Chapter XIV**

Chuck began to wake up. He unconsciously kept a small grin plastered on his face, even during the time he was asleep. He started to reach for Sarah in bed with his left arm, as memories of the last night came rushing back to his head. Those memories made his small grin turn into a pretty wider one. However, as his hand sought the person responsible for said happiness, Chuck got worried 'cause all it found was an empty space. Was it all a dream? Could it be that his mind played such a cruel, and yet vivid trick on him? Just the thought was enough to scare Chuck, and made him open up his eyes quick and immediately. When he did so, he realized that Sarah wasn't in bed with him.

He lifted his head a bit from the pillow for a while, still a little groggy from waking up. Then he took a once over the room, and was relieved to see none other than Sarah standing in front of one of the large windows. She was barefoot, wearing his white "Working Class Hero" t-shirt from the night before, and that was all. Her bare legs looked like they went on for a mile. She had her back turned to him as she gazed outside, and the mere sight of her brought the wide grin back to Chuck's face. He didn't imagine everything, thank God; he thought.

Chuck, in his bare chest and sweat pants, got up from bed and went to Sarah's direction. She was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice he had woken up. On his short walk he glanced briefly at the alarm clock, which flashed 9:03 AM. He stopped right behind her.

"Good morning," Chuck said, wrapping his arms around her torso from behind, wearing the biggest smile.

Sarah was startled by Chuck, her mind and thoughts were miles away from there.

"Hey, uh, good morning," she replied a little awkwardly, turning around to face him or to escape from his grip. Not even Sarah herself was exactly sure.

Chuck sensed something, but didn't think much of it.

"Why did you get up so early? Let's go back to bed," he said with the smile still on.

"Oh, I'm not really the sleep-in type, you know," Sarah said as awkwardly as before, while taking a seat on the small sofa.

Ok, now Chuck knew something was up. She was acting all strange, distant, and well, weird.

"Is something wrong?" he asked concerned, taking a seat on the armchair next to the sofa.

"No, nothing's wrong," she stated softly, but couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.

"Come on, I can see that there is. Did I do something? Or said something, I don't know…" he said talking a lot with his hands, trying to catch her gaze that seemed fascinated by something on the floor.

"No, really. There's nothing wrong, especially not with anything that you did or say," she awkwardly put it, fidgeting uncomfortable on her seat.

Chuck sighed. Loud. Sarah felt even worst, but he wasn't ready to let it go yet. If the tough question that was burning in his mouth needed to be asked, he would ask it. No matter how much the answer scared him, and no matter how much it could potentially hurt him.

"It's about last night, right? You didn't mean to do it, you think it was a mista…" he began to ask softly, but was cut by Sarah.

Sarah couldn't let him go any further. Even 'though she wasn't looking at him, she could sense the sadness, she could sense the distress deep in his voice. Occupational hazard. She couldn't let him finish this misinterpretation of what was really going on inside her head.

"I'm afraid," she blurted out, looking directly at him for the first time.

Chuck was caught off guard by her statement, and at the same time he felt really confused. He looked into her blue eyes, and saw all this angst. All he wanted to do was to fling himself over her, and kiss her most ardently. He couldn't bear to see her looking that way without doing something to stop it. But he brought himself back to the moment to get to the bottom of what it seemed like to him a quite surreal event.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?" he asked sounding more like a plea than a question, while staring right back into her eyes.

This was extra hard for Sarah. She wasn't used to open herself up. So, it took a while for her to sum up the courage to answer him. He waited patiently, and began to grasp the extent of this fact about the woman he was so infatuated with.

"That this won't last," she managed to spill it out, uncomfortable with being in such a vulnerable position.

She wanted to add "and I want it too", but it was more vulnerability than she could display so soon after her previous opening, and honestly it wasn't necessary. At that instant her eyes were telling Chuck that, and much more.

At first he didn't quite know what he was supposed to answer to that, but he knew for sure he was relieved that his earlier thoughts were wrong. He also knew for sure that he wanted to be there for her, he wanted to make those feelings and those thoughts go away.

So, Chuck slowly got up from the armchair and took a seat next to Sarah on the sofa. She kept watching him, uncertain of what was going to happen next. He simply gazed into her eyes for quite a long moment, and surprisingly she locked eyes back. They remained like that in a delicate unspoken understanding. He got what she was saying, he understood her reservations whether he agreed with them of not. So, he gently took her left hand with his right one.

"We will make it last, we will make it work. Together," Chuck softly, and yet seriously put it.

She took in his words. She had to hand it that it felt very good to hear the words "we", and "together" coming from his lips.

"Can we take one day at a time, and worry about later when it comes?" he asked, while caressing her hand that was still wrapped in his.

"Can we do that?" he added in the same tone, but this time flashing his best charming smile.

"Yes, I suppose we can," she replied, flashing him an adorable smile back, and looking down for a while in a moment of shyness.

"Good," Chuck stated, smile still in place.

"I'm sorry, I'm so bad at this," Sarah said shyly, while searching for his eyes again.

She felt the need to apologize for her fears of vulnerability, and opening herself up. Relationships were definitely not her strongest suit. She could beat, and probably make a man twice her size cry like a little girl, but to say what she was feeling was a real challenge.

"Well, we'll work on that too," he said, now offering her the Chuck megawatt smile.

Sarah took a good look at him, smiling so brightly at her, and she couldn't help but mimic his wide grin. Suddenly, she realized that man sitting in front of her, willing to go to any length to be with her, to make this work, and she was unable to control her impulses. She leaned in and kissed him, gently and sweetly. He definitely wasn't expecting it, and it felt better than any description could ever do justice.

She pulled back, and coincidently the eyes of both people lingered closed for a while longer.

"Wow!" was all Chuck could softly exclaim, after he opened his eyes.

"What was that for?" he managed to add the question.

"Nothing, just for being you," she honestly said.

Apparently this open up thing is not that bad, she thought.

They smiled at each other, and Chuck felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

"So, since we're already up, wanna grab some breakfast downstairs?" he asked with excitement apparent in his voice, while standing up.

"Sure," she replied, standing up as well.

Chuck and Sarah took quick showers, and simultaneously changed their clothes. He was sitting in bed tying his black chucks when Sarah walked out of the bathroom, after fixing her face. He looked up at her, before standing up. They were both ready to go.

"Love the top," he stated with a playful smirk on his face.

She was wearing the blue top with small buttons.

"Oh, you noticed," she said, blushing slightly.

He came closer, and stood very near to her.

"I notice everything about you, Sarah," Chuck stated seriously, but charmingly, in a geek way instead of a player way.

She blushed even more, but kept eye contact and a pleased smile on her face. His adorkable cuteness always got to her.

"It's nice to see you do, too," he half-joked, smiling brightly.

"Don't get too cocky," she joked back, hitting him playfully with her elbow.

Both laughed out loud. Chuck put his arm around her.

"Can we go?" he asked, still grinning.

"Yeah," she replied, grinning as well.

"I just have to follow protocol here, and phone my CIA contact. Whenever an agent is out of his assignment's jurisdiction it's norm to personally touch base daily with your contact. Company policy, you know," Sarah said completely serious this time.

Chuck exaggerated nodded with a straight face.

"I love when you talk spy to me," he joked, still wearing a serious face.

Then he opened up a huge smile, and Sarah chuckled at his joke. She went to her things to pick up her cell phone, and then she made the call. After that they went to get breakfast.

They got directions to the dining room, where the breakfast was served, from one of the bell-boys at the lobby, and as soon as they reached it they saw Ellie seating alone at one of the small tables. She was wearing biking top and shorts. They headed to her direction.

"Hey, sis," Chuck said, unable to keep the silly grin off of his face.

"Good morning, Ellie," Sarah added right after Chuck, smiling as well.

"Hi, good morning to you two. Sit down," Ellie politely said, smiling back at the couple.

"Where's Awesome? And more importantly, what's with the outfit?" Chuck asked amused, after sitting down.

"Oh, don't get me started... Devon planned this 'awesome' bike ride with his San Francisco friends for the both of us. He's upstairs making some last minute arrangements, we just had breakfast. You know it's completely not my scene, but since he went to that hands-on couples cooking lesson with me last weekend, I felt it was only fair to compromise," the brunette said with zero enthusiasm.

"I feel for you," Chuck said half mockingly, half honestly.

"So do I," Sarah said plain honestly, sitting down next to Chuck.

"I knew I could at least save the both of you, that's why I didn't mention anything. No one should be subjected to this. I was going to leave a message on the reception desk for you, I didn't want to wake you two," Ellie said in the same tone as before.

"Anyway, what are you guys planning to do? You can keep the car, 'cause Devon's friends are picking us up and bringing the biking gear in a few minutes," she added more enthusiastic about her brother and girlfriend's plans.

"We don't know yet, I guess we'll see what we see, right?" Chuck said to his sister, while looking from her to Sarah.

"Yeah, we don't have any plans made," the blonde replied candidly.

Awesome came to the table wearing biking clothes like Ellie.

"Good morning, sleepyheads! Honey, the guys are here. We can go now," the captain said, looking from the couple to his fiancé.

"Great!" Ellie said with a little sarcasm, but not enough for her fiancé to pick up on, before she got up.

"Are you two sure you don't want to tag along?" Awesome asked Chuck and Sarah.

"Oh, we're sure. Thanks, 'though," Chuck replied in the same tone as his sister.

"Ok, then. Here are the car keys," Awesome said, handing Chuck the keys.

"Have a nice ride," Sarah genuinely said to the fiancés, with a smile on her face.

"Thank you," Ellie replied wearing a paler smile on her face, before she and Awesome took off.

"Let's get some coffee?" Chuck turned around to ask Sarah with a smile.

"Lead the way," she replied smiling back.

They went to the self-service breakfast table, which had a great spread of muffins, rolls, bagels, fruits, eggs, bacon, all the typical things. But Chuck and Sarah were only interested in some coffee, and muffins; both were the type who didn't enjoy heavy stuff in the morning.

After they had their coffee over some light conversation, they went to the car headed to San Francisco. They decided that when they got there they would figure out what to do.

They were driving around enjoying the sights of the beautiful city when Chuck had an epiphany.

"Oh, I know where we can go," he said, turning the steering wheel.

"Yeah, where?" Sarah asked enthusiastically.

"You'll see when we get there. It's quite near," Chuck replied, smiling at the lady on his right.

"You should know that I'm not a big fan of surprises, and I'm not very patient either," she light-heartily warned him with a smile on her face.

"Duly noted," he joked, guiding the car straight ahead.

A few minutes later they arrived to their destination, and Chuck turned off the engine of the parked car.

"Here we are," he stated almost proud, midst a bright smile, while unbuckling his seat belt.

"A pier?" Sarah asked interested, while doing the same.

"Exactly," Chuck answered, getting out of the vehicle.

Sarah got out as well, and he locked the car. They started walking towards the pier.

"Since I can remember my dad used to bring Ellie and me here to eat at this diner on the pier whenever we were in town visiting Uncle Tom. Everything on the menu is incredible, you'll see, especially the extra fluffy huge stack of pancakes, with homemade maple syrup, and cinnamon butter," he went on all excited, smiling at the memories.

Sarah paid close attention to the story, interested to hear his memories.

"When we were kids we only cared about them. It didn't matter if it was no longer breakfast time. My dad turned his nose up at us having pancakes for lunch, but my mom always indulged us. When she was no longer coming with us he didn't say a word, in fact he was the one motivating us to order them," he added, now with a paler smile.

Sarah noticed the touchy subject, and she didn't like seeing him feeling down at all.

"Well, I know it is no longer breakfast time, but I'm up for pancakes. What about you?" she asked with over excitement, while locking arms with Chuck.

The gesture didn't go over his head, and he looked to his side at Sarah with a brighter, appreciative smile. She got the look and empathetically smiled back.

"You don't even have to ask," Chuck replied, walking arm in arm with Sarah.

They reached the place, and got a table outside on the deck with a marvelous view to the blue-green Pacific Ocean, and the sandy beach. Then they ordered the famous pancakes, and sat waiting.

"Wow, I can't believe. It must be 9 years since I last been here," he said, looking at the ocean.

"Long time. With your dad and Ellie?" she asked in interest.

"Yeah, it feels like a lifetime ago, and yet it seems like yesterday, you know?" he put it, returning his gaze to Sarah.

She nodded.

"Well, I couldn't have asked for better company to return," he added with a smile.

"Thanks," she said, smiling bashfully back.

They continued talking for a while about random stuff and life in general, when the waiter approached with their plates.

"… he did it, and I wound up actually falling flat on my face," Sarah finished telling him a story, while laughing out loud with Chuck.

"Well, I didn't…" he started to say, but was interrupted by the waiter.

"Here are your orders. Enjoy," the waiter said, putting their pancake plates in front of Chuck and Sarah, along with a small plate with homemade cinnamon butter, and a gravy boat filled with homemade maple syrup.

"Thanks," the couple unintentionally said in unison, before the waiter left.

"If it tastes as good as it smells I'm satisfied," Sarah said, picking up the fork and knife.

"It tastes better," Chuck replied, while doing the same.

"But, as I was saying earlier, I didn't imagine myself living like this either. Not only the part about having the Intersect stuck in my head, that's a given, but I never thought I'd be living with my sister and working at a Buy More at this stage of my life," he confided while spackling some butter over his stack of pancakes.

Sarah nodded, listening to everything he was saying, while covering her pancakes with syrup.

"I mean, you and I know quite well the reasons why that happened. But the thing is, since our truth serum brush with death experience, I decided I needed to get a move on, you know, get my ducks in a roll once and for all," he added, before eating a fork full of pancake.

"Yeah, I vaguely recall that. If I can remember correctly it culminated with you wanting us to break-up, you know, fake fake break-up, our pretend relationship," she joked with sarcasm, midst a malicious, sassy smile, before eating some pancake herself.

Sarah joked, but in reality that day was awful for her. It was really hard for her to maintain her detachment when all she wanted to do was give in to her emotions, and tell Chuck everything he wanted to hear, and everything she wanted to tell him.

"Please, do not remind me of that. It's a moment I'd rather forget. But fake breaking-up with you was not the only thing on my list, that day I actually started working on an idea I had back in college for a software. I think I'm on to something good," Chuck said rather enthusiastically.

"And I never told anyone that before," he added in disbelief of how at easy he felt about sharing stuff with Sarah, at easy to the extent that he didn't even realized he was doing so.

"Not even Morgan?" Sarah joked with a smile on her face.

Chuck laughed, and shook 'no' with his head since his mouth was then full.

"Well, I'm happy for you. You should really go after what you truly want," Sarah added honestly, eating another fork of pancake.

"God, I thought you were exaggerating about this pancake, but it really is amazing," she finished after swallowing the last piece of pancake she ate.

"Chuck never lies," he said with a smile, before shoving a big piece into his mouth.

"Chuck should stop talking about himself in the third person," Sarah stated with a wide grin on her face.

Both laughed midst full mouths. They finished eating, and Chuck gentleman-like paid the bill after some protest from Sarah. Then the couple walked side by side towards the pier's carnival. Chuck pondered for a moment if he should go for holding her hand. As juvenile as it sounds, they were in that sort of awkward beginning of a relationship. At that time when you overthink every action, and start to analyze if the other person will receive the gesture well. And having been shut-down by Sarah so many times in the past certainly didn't help the situation.

Despite all of that Chuck, as smoothly as a guy like Chuck could possibly act, went ahead and softly held Sarah's hand while holding his breath in anxiety. She held his hand back, and looked to her side at him with this mix of shyness and loveliness in her beautiful smile. Chuck locked eyes with her, and let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Then he flashed the trademark Chuck megawatt smile to her. And life couldn't get sweeter than that, was the general consensus.

They were walking through the rather crowded carnival, and as the couple was lost in their own little moment, at their own little world, Chuck felt something hit his legs. He looked down at the same moment as Sarah, and there it was a little girl of approximately 5 years old. She had long black hair tied in a high ponytail, and big hazel eyes.

"Hi, sweetie! Are you lost?" Chuck said, while letting go of Sarah's hand and lowering himself down to the child's level, taking the time to look around in search of her responsible.

"I wanna go to the carrousel," she said pointing at the ride near the couple's left.

"But mommy and daddy are in line with Josh for the cups," she added with a pout in a rather whining tone.

"Ok, and what's your name? We need to find your mommy," Chuck sweetly asked the kid.

Sarah kept hearing their conversation at Chuck's side, but still looked around trying to spot the girl's parents.

"My name is Sophie. I'm in trouble?" the raven haired girl asked, looking down a bit embarrassed.

"No, no… I'm Chuck, and this is Sarah," he said, pointing at him and Sarah respectively.

The girl shyly smiled at them, and they smiled back to reassure her.

"We'll help you find…" Chuck was saying when he saw a woman rushing towards them from behind a group of teenage boys.

"Sophie, Sophie… Oh my God! You started to scare me, dear," the woman with a visible small bump said, leaning down to hug the kid.

Chuck got up and retrieved Sarah's hand.

"Hi, we just found her, and were about to start looking for you," Chuck said to the brunette woman in her 30's.

"I'm Chuck, and this is my girlfriend, Sarah, by the way" he added with a friendly smile.

At the moment the words "my girlfriend" came out from Chuck's mouth he felt pure bliss. To be saying that for real for the first time was a feeling he could not quite describe. The realization made his smile grow even wider. Sarah felt practically the same hearing the words coming from his mouth. So, she smiled brightly at the woman.

"I'm Natalie, thank you so much for keeping an eye on her. This one here is something else," the pregnant woman said, placing a hand on top of her daughter's head.

"It was nothing, really," Sarah politely stated.

"Ok, now let's go meet you dad and Josh, sweetie," Natalie said to Sophie.

"But I wanna go to the carrousel, I came so close," the girl pleaded with her mom.

"I can't go with you now, dear. Mommy can barely keep anything in her stomach as it is, if I start to spin around… Your dad will bring you and Josh after the cups like we promised," the woman reasoned with the child.

Natalie took Sophie's hand to leave, and the look of sadness in the girl's face was heart breaking.

"Now say thank you to this nice couple," she added softly.

"Thank you, Chuck. Thank you, Sarah," Sophie politely and sadly said, looking up at them.

Chuck couldn't let that happen, in fact he had a great and wicked plan.

"You know what? You should get a ride at the carrousel. Like you said, you came so close. It wouldn't be fair to just leave, would it?" Chuck asked Sophie excited.

The kid's face lit up instantly.

"Yeah… Sarah will take you, won't you, hun'?" Chuck asked Sarah in a teasing tone, wearing a big mischievous smile on his face.

Sarah shot him a surprised look.

"There's no line, and I would just love to get a picture of this," he added in the same tone and demeanor, pulling the iPhone from his jacket's pocket.

Sarah then shot him another look, which could only be described as a mix of devious, shock, and well-played-Bartowski. Sophie looked so happy that she had no escape.

After getting permission from Natalie, Sarah took the girl's hand and guided her to the carrousel. Chuck and Natalie followed them, and stayed by the ride's rail. Sarah sat Sophie on the white horse the girl had quickly called the instant she sat foot on the carrousel, and sat on the black one right behind her. Chuck couldn't get the grin out of his face. The carrousel started spinning, and every once in a while he would wave at Sarah and Sophie. The latter always waved back enthusiastically, unlike his girlfriend who merely shook 'no' with her head. Chuck enjoyed taking several pictures of them. Sarah faked some forced smiles for him, but reality was she was really enjoying the whole situation.

The ride was over, and the couple bid farewell to Sophie and her mom. Chuck and Sarah never received a hug as tight as the kid's appreciative one. Although neither commented on the subject, both wondered what it would be like if they ever had a kid together in the future. And both felt a pleasant feeling about the idea.

The sun was starting to go down, and despite creating a beautiful view, it was starting to get very chilly with the cool sea breeze blowing through and all.

"You're so gonna pay me for that one. You know that, right?" Sarah asked Chuck smiling, as they walked down the pier's carnival hand in hand, which came pretty naturally by now.

Chuck noticed Sarah wasn't wearing a jacket, so he kept walking while taking his own jacket off. He stopped, and Sarah did the same.

"Here," Chuck said, holding his jacket open behind Sarah so she could slip into it.

He didn't even ask if she wanted it or not, he went ahead and anticipated her need without Sarah having to say a word. She was clearly and visibly impressed as she slipped her arms into his jacket.

"Thanks," she replied, looking back at him and smiling seductively.

"And don't you worry, I'll make you copies," he teased, coming back to stand in front of her, and smiling charmingly back.

"You should be afraid of what I can do to you, Bartowski," she teased back, adjusting into his jacket, and removing her long blonde hair from under it.

"Please, don't talk like that. You're sounding like Casey," he joked, while helping her with the jacket.

And as he helped her with his jacket, he took a moment to gaze directly into her beautiful blue eyes. There was something about the sunset's light hitting her face that made him get this unstoppable urge to kiss her. Sarah saw this urge clearly in his eyes, and to be honest, she was feeling the moment, and she desired the same. So, Chuck grabbed both of his jacket's lapels, and brought Sarah close slowly. Their lips crashed, and he kissed her very passionately. More passionate than ever before. It was a very long kiss, and when their lips parted both were in desperate need of some air.

"You kiss Casey like that?" Sarah managed to tease him, still in short of air and with swollen lips.

Chuck simply smiled at her, while taking a deep breath.

"I thought you didn't like PDA," she added, unable to stop smiling, looking around at all those people at the carnival walking by.

Chuck looked around.

"I guess to me there were only you and me here," he plainly put it, smiling back at her.

Sarah got a little flushed with his words, and flashed him a shy smile. There were more butterflies in her stomach than she could handle. So, this was what it was like when the real thing came along, she thought. Chuck put his arm over her shoulders, and they resumed their walk.

"It's getting late, we should head back," Chuck said, looking at his watch.

"Ok," the blonde replied naturally.

The couple turned around and started walking back to the car, but Chuck stopped when he spotted a cotton-candy booth.

"Let's get a cotton-candy first," he said to Sarah with more excitement in his voice than he had planned.

"What are you? 8?" she asked with a smirk, turning around to tease him face to face.

"Come on, tell me you don't want one," he insisted, smiling wider than before.

Sarah faked to be thinking hard.

"I want one," she replied after a bit.

"That's what I thought," Chuck stated, before him and Sarah approached the booth.

"May I have two, please?" he politely asked the lady who tended the booth.

While Chuck retrieved the money from his wallet, the woman handed Sarah the cotton-candies, and they exchanged thank-yous. He paid her, and got his treat from Sarah. They continued their slow walk back to the car while eating the cotton-candy, and talking about nothing of consequence. Shortly after, Chuck had already finished his. So, he was walking holding Sarah's hand, and couldn't help but notice that her treat was still half whole. He didn't think twice and swiftly bit a big chunk of it.

"Hey!" she protested in a rather high-pitched tone, turning around to face him.

"What?" he replied playing dumb, but unable to hide the mischievous grin on his face.

"You practically finished it," Sarah stated midst a laugh, before eating the last piece left.

She took the opportunity to hit him with her elbow, not quite lightly this time around.

"Ouch!" Chuck whined also midst a laugh, while rubbing the spot.

"It's going to leave a bruise, I bruise easily you know," he joked in the same tone.

"I think you'll survive," Sarah joked back, grinning like a child.

Chuck stopped walking suddenly, and Sarah seeing that did the same.

"I'll make it up to you," he stated, pointing exaggeratedly, for comic effect, at a teddy picker machine.

"Let's face it, I throw like a girl. And you've seen me with guns, I'm guessing with bb guns I'll suck the same; so, my best chance to win you a stuffed animal has got to be the teddy picker. Really, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I took my girl to a carnival and didn't score her one?" he delivered his monologue, and headed towards the machine.

"You don't have to…" Sarah started to say, while following him.

"No, I want to," Chuck cut her smiling, while getting some change out of his pocket.

Chuck stared through the machine's glass checking their options out, with Sarah standing right behind him doing the same.

"What do you think? Which one do you want?" Chuck asked rather seriously, moving his head from side to side studying the pile of stuffed animals. He was really into the game.

"I don't mind, really…" Sarah replied, unconsciously mimicking Chuck's head movement.

"The alligator, that green-ish alligator on the top. It seems to be the easiest to pick up," she added, pressing her index finger on the machine's glass to point the stuffed animal to Chuck.

"No way I'm getting you that ugly alligator!" he protested, turning around to face her for emphasis effect.

"I'll go for that cute, pink pig back there," Chuck added, doing the same with his finger to show Sarah which one he was talking about.

"It looks difficult to get," Sarah warned him.

"Oh, I'm getting it; games are my thing. You just start thinking of a name, 'cause every stuffed animal deserves a name," Chuck replied with a smile on his face, before starting to crack his knuckles and neck in mockery.

Sarah smiled widely at him. Then, Chuck shoved the coin into the teddy picker machine, and grabbed the stick to guide the pick-up hook. Sarah stood right behind him, watching anxiously. He moved the hook back and forth, studied carefully to place it right above the pink pig, and finally hit the red button above the stick to launch the hook down.

The couple watched closely the hook going down, and ultimately picking up the pig. However, on its way to bring the stuffed animal to the pick-up hole, it actually dropped the pig.

"There's no problem, second time is the charm. Now it's easier, anyway," the nerd said, after some 'ahs' and 'nos' were uttered by the two of them.

Sarah rubbed his back in support, and then, he put another coin in. Chuck did the same as before, and hit the red button. The hook went down once more, and picked up the pig. However, this time it brought the pink cuteness all the way above the pick-up hole, and dropped it down.

"What did I say?" Chuck rhetorically asked wearing a bright smile on his face, while retrieving the stuffed animal. His hands were actually sweating.

Oh, men and their need to impress, Sarah thought. But in this specific case, it was actually very sweet of him, she thought further.

"Here," he added pleased with himself, while handing her the pig.

Chuck wanted indeed to impress Sarah. He wanted to be the best he could be for her; he wanted to make her proud of him, and proud to be with him. She definitely had a way to bring out the best in him. If only he knew he didn't even had to try. Sarah already liked him only for being him. But that was something he would figure out eventually… with time in the relationship.

"Thanks, I love it," Sarah said smiling kind of bashfully, and holding the pink pig.

Then she took a step forward towards Chuck, and her face wound up inches apart from his. She looked straight into his eyes, and gave him a quick, delicate, soft kiss on the lips. It was still new for her to be the one taking the first step on this type of situation. Doing something like this was to put herself in a vulnerable position, but at that moment she felt quite comfortable in doing so.

Chuck could feel his heart pounding faster, and in that instant, the entire struggle he went through with her in the past seemed to have been worthy.

He offered her his arm, and she locked hers with his. They continued to walk back to the car.

"Decided on a name?" he asked midst a smile.

"No, I'm bad at this," she replied, while holding the pig up so they could look at it.

"Come on, she needs a name," Chuck pleaded.

"I know, I know… A cute female pig: Miss…" he added excited.

"Piggy," Sarah finished his sentence with a smile.

"Yeah, that's it. Miss Piggy," Chuck stated with an indefinable smile, a little surprised with Sarah.

"What? I was a child once, too," Sarah replied with a smirk gracing her features.

"Aren't you full of surprises?" Chuck rhetorically asked.

"Miss Piggy, huh? I think it's a good name," Sarah absently mumbled, staring at the pink stuffed pig in her hand with a grin on her face.

"Yeah, I think it's a great name," Chuck replied with the same grin on his face, pulling Sarah closer to him, as they continued walking to the car.

A couple of minutes later they reached the car, and happily headed back to the B&B to get ready for the wedding.

**A/N:** Thanks for the last chapter's feedback! I hope you all enjoyed this new one as much as I did writing it. I've got to admit that this is as fluffy as I can get, I mean, I like romance and all, but I particularly like it when the relationship doesn't lose its spark, you know. So, I'll never let go of the teasing, and the bickering, and probably some minor fights (in the future), 'cause that's what I think keep everything interesting, and frankly, believable.

Another thing, for those keeping close track, I "killed" the rehearsal dinner. I just figured it would be overkill and pointless to have another separate event – plus, this chapter was getting too long -- but everything that would have happened there I'll forward to the wedding; so, nothing will be lost really. That's all for now :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 15/?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N:** Thanks to those who still bother to drop a review, and to those who don't review but are still interested in the story. I hope you enjoy the next chapter, it's by far my favorite one so far.

**Chapter XV**

"I now pronounce you: husband…" the priest serenely said.

Chuck took the opportunity to gaze into Sarah's eyes.

"…and wife," he continued.

Sarah gazed straight back, offering him a small and rather shy smile, to which he responded with a wider one.

"You may kiss the bride," the priest concluded, closing the Bible he had in hand.

Both Chuck and Sarah broke off the little moment they were silently sharing to look ahead at Melissa and Graham sharing their first kiss as an official married couple.

The ceremony took place at the back of the B&B, on this beautiful, wide lawn. They positioned the chairs to face this elaborated white tent where the couple exchanged their vows in front of the priest, their family and friends. The bride's side and the groom's were divided by this pristine white rug that formed the aisle, and all the way down it there were elegant arrangements of white roses mixed with light pink ones.

Even 'though it was night, the place was very well illuminated, not only by bright lights, but also candle lights, that seemed to be everywhere inside of these modern glass globes. They definitely were setting a much cozier, intimate ambiance to the ceremony. This without mentioning the beautiful, small lake that graced the B&B's back, which clearly inspired the 

place's name. The guests could easily see it from their seats, the water was so clear that you could actually see the exotic, colorful fishes swimming around.

Sarah was sitting next to Chuck, who was sitting next to Ellie, who sat beside Awesome. They were all looking very sharp: Chuck wore a dark gray suit – after much nagging on Ellie's side, he finally sprung for a new one, after wearing his old man's for as long as he could remember – with a white dress shirt, and a beautiful diagonal striped tie in bordeaux, sober fuchsia, silver, and dark brown. Sarah wore a long sultry chocolate silk georgette tiered gown, with an amazing off the shoulder neckline, paired with fabulous high heeled golden sandals. Awesome was wearing a timeless, well tailored black suit, with a black pinstripe dress shirt, and a solid red tie. His fiancé wore a long sexy well-fitted red strapless garnet gown, with an elegant pleated bodice, matched with a pair of gorgeous high heeled strappy silver sandals.

As soon as the ceremony ended, the guests – who weren't lots, but weren't few either -- were directed inside to this spacious event room. There, everything was ready for the wedding reception to start: the tables were neatly set, the waiters were promptly standing-by, the band was getting momentum… So, everybody just started to look for their seats and party.

"Now, if only we can find our seats it will be super," Chuck said, holding Sarah's hand, while leaning in to read the name on a card placed in front of a plate on top of a random table.

Ellie and Awesome were doing the same on the other side of the room. When they first entered they decided it would be best to divide and conquer. And apparently it worked, 'cause quickly Ellie motioned the couple to come over. The fiancés had found their table.

"Great. My feet are starting to complain," Sarah said, following Chuck's lead.

"Are those things really as bad as you all claim them to be?" he joked midst a smile, while looking back down to her feet, without stopping the walk to their table.

"You have no idea. I guess it takes walking on them to truly know," the blonde replied with a shade of sarcasm.

"Well, I guess I'll never know then," Chuck continued to amuse her, letting out a small chuckle.

"Never say never," Sarah played along, smiling herself.

"Either way this kind of pain is too much for you to handle," she concluded the teasing, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, to which he turned his head around to flash her a most obliged wide smile.

The couple reached their table, Awesome and Ellie were already sitting down.

"Nice of you to join us," Awesome ironically greeted them in playfulness.

Chuck and Sarah merely smiled at him. Chuck read the place card in front of the plate, and it read "Charles Bartowski", but when he and Sarah went to read the one next to his, it said "Julia Campbell". He quickly grabbed it, folded, and put it in his suit's jacket inside pocket. Then he shot an apologetic look at Sarah, who felt a bit awkward but understood, while pushing the chair for her to sit on.

The foursome was joined by a friendly older couple, and so their table became completed. After they introduced themselves to whom they learned to be Brian and Rose – related to the bride from her mother's side – the waiters began to serve some drinks and appetizers that preceded the entries.

They were all small talking, eating, and having a good time. Brian and Rose started talking amongst themselves for a while, Awesome was distracted grabbing a drink from a waiter's tray, and Sarah was about to eat a random appetizer.

"Oh, I wouldn't eat that one, Sarah," Ellie leaned forward a bit, and warned her in a low tone.

"Really? Why, is it bad?" Sarah asked in the same tone while putting the thing down, and unaware that she had leaned forward as well.

"No, it's just very oily, and with your spastic colon and all, I felt I should say something," the brunette genuinely stated.

Chuck, who had been watching their whole interaction, became petrified. Sarah looked puzzled.

"Yeah, honey. I told Ellie about that day when you had that bad episode a few months ago. Remember?" he asked, shooting her a pointed look.

Sarah shot him a twice as pointed – and frankly, dirty -- look before answering.

"Oh, yeah," the blonde meekly answered mortified.

"No need to be embarrassed. Ellie's a doctor. Right, Ellie?" Chuck tried to appease the matter.

"Definitely," the lady doctor answered, midst an honest and reassuring smile.

Sarah awkwardly smiled back at her, and Ellie turned around to talk to Awesome.

"You told your sister I had spastic colon?!" Sarah asked him in a hush and a bit pissed with disbelief.

"I needed an excuse to bail on her because of one of our missions," he whispered back, looking around to make sure nobody was listening.

"And you couldn't think of a less embarrassing disease?" she asked in the same tone.

"I was cornered, and under pressure. It was the first thing that crossed my mind," Chuck honestly answered.

Sarah shook her head.

"You're weird. You know that?" she asked in a lighter tone.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm very aware of that," Chuck stated midst a goofy smile.

Sarah smiled back, and Chuck stealthily mouthed "I'm sorry" to her right after the other couples were turning their attention back to them. He guessed there was no need to mention that he also told about her "disease" to Casey, Graham and the General. Something about scratching, a short stick, and a tiger; you do the math.

The entries have come and gone, and the evening couldn't be going more pleasant so.

"I have to use the ladies room," Sarah said, more to Chuck than anybody else.

"Ok," he replied serenely, while watching her stand up.

"I'll go with you," Ellie divulged, standing up as well.

Sarah smiled at her, and the brunette matched it.

"What's with women and bathrooms, huh? Why do you always have to go together?" Awesome asked, looking from Chuck for support, to the ladies for an answer.

Chuck shrugged and offered the girls and Awesome a rather curious smile.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ellie sassily responded with a cheeky smile on her face, the same as Sarah's, as both turned their backs on the guys and left to the ladies room.

The boys remained behind watching them cruise the room, and wearing enchanted smiles on their faces, plainly bewitched by those mystical, intriguing, and beautiful creatures.

"I'll go fetch some wine for me and Sarah at the bar. Do you want something?" Chuck asked Awesome after a couple of minutes that the girls had left.

Brian and Rose had taken off moments earlier to "mingle a little", their words.

Chuck could have waited for a waiter to swing by for him to get the drinks, but he was in need of a good leg-stretching.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks, Chuckles," the Captain answered in his full Captain tone of voice.

Chuck got up, and headed for the bar, making sure to greet some familiar faces from afar. The last thing he needed, or wanted for that matter, was to make small talk with distant, dull relatives. Shortly after he reached his final destination.

"Two red wines, please," Chuck said to the woman behind the bar, with a small, polite smile in his face.

"Coming right up, Sir," she replied matching his smile, and turning around to fetch his order.

At that same moment Sarah and Ellie were leaving the bathroom.

"Yes, he said it exactly like that," the brunette told the blonde, midst an out loud laugh.

"I don't believe it," Sarah replied flabbergasted, laughing out loud as well, while taking a step sideways for another woman to enter the ladies room.

They were heading for their table and chatting when Sarah spotted Chuck on the bar.

"Oh, Chuck is over there. I'll just go see what he's up to," Sarah said to Ellie.

"Alright, see you both soon," Ellie replied before heading on a different direction from Sarah.

Chuck was just leaving the bar with their drinks when he encountered Sarah.

"Hey! Here, for you," he said, handing her a glass of wine.

"Thank you," she replied, touched once again by his thoughtfulness, and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

They started walking back to their table when suddenly a woman stopped in front of them.

"Aunt Carolyn. Hi!" Chuck greeted her with a pleasant smile.

"Hello, Charles! I mean, Chuck. I beg you a pardon, I didn't mean to sound like your mom. Liz was the one who refused to call you Chuck, or your dad Jim. It was always Charles and James 

with her. She didn't have a problem with Ellie 'though, go figure. Oh, but I didn't mean to bring up the issue of your mom either. I apologize," the red headed woman in her early 50's babbled a mile a minute.

Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Tom's wife, was the type of woman who you could say was not the most pleasant woman on the face of the Earth. Carolyn is the type who thinks very highly of herself, the type who when starts talking doesn't seem to be able to stop. The classical case of verborrhea. She doesn't filter anything, everything she thinks, she says. Even 'though she comes up as a stuck-up – which she actually really is – Carolyn is a person who would die for her family. She loves her husband to death, and she idolizes her only daughter.

"It's ok, I gue…" Chuck tried to say, feeling very uncomfortable at the moment, but was cut by Aunt Carolyn.

"I mean, we all tried to warn Jim that Lizzie was a free spirit, that she would never get over the feeling of being tied down by marriage, but he wouldn't listen," the woman kept going, she seemed unstoppable.

Chuck got more uncomfortable by the second, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, back and forth. And Sarah just stood there watching, shocked by this woman's behavior.

"But that's water under the bridge. How are you doing, dear? And what are you doing?" she concluded her monologue with a plastered smile on her face.

Chuck took a big sip of his wine.

"Uh, I'm fine, actually. You know, still working at the Buy More," he replied awkwardly, mustering a weak smile.

"Oh, still?" she rhetorically asked in a condescending tone, to which he simply nodded while tugging at his tie's knot.

Aunt Carolyn looked to his side at Sarah for the first time.

"Well, at least you managed to snag a great looking doctor to yourself, huh? Tom mentioned her to me a while back. Julia, right?" Carolyn asked, midst a wide and hopeful smile.

Chuck had been so nervous and tense talking to Aunt Carolyn that introducing Sarah even slipped his mind.

"Actually, this isn't Julia. This is my girlfriend, Sarah Walker," he proudly introduced her, feeling a high self-esteem for the first time while talking to his aunt.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Nice to meet you, Sarah. Tom always keeps me out of the loop," the red headed stated to the young couple, while kissing both of Sarah's cheeks.

"Nice to meet you, too," the blonde replied, offering her boyfriend's aunt a smile.

"And what do you do, Sarah?" the woman asked barely skipping a beat.

This seemed to be Carolyn's favorite topic, her own little way to separate the chaff from the wheat.

This time around Sarah was the one to take a big sip of her wine.

"Well, I, uh, I work at a fast food restaurant," the blonde meekly said in between long stares at her own feet.

"Oh," the older woman matched her previous reaction.

"That seems… nice," she managed to finish, after regaining her composure.

Chuck gave a gentle, empathetic squeeze on Sarah's hand, which he had been holding all along.

"Where's Uncle Tom, by the way?" Chuck asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"The photographer is taking some pictures of him with Mel. I'm sure he'll look for you later," Aunt Carolyn informed him.

"Anyway, it was great seeing you again, Chuck. And meeting you, Sarah. Give my best to Ellie, if I fail to see her later, ok?" she added, looking from Chuck to Sarah, and kissing him on both cheeks as well.

"Will do," Chuck replied smiling politely at her.

And off Aunt Carolyn went.

"Wow!" Chuck let out, turning around to look Sarah in the eyes.

"She's sort of… unpleasant," she had trouble finding a way to characterize his aunt.

"That's one way to describe her," the nerd replied with a nod, offering her a wide, ironic smile.

"And she seems to have a way to make you feel…" Sarah began to say.

"Like you're a tiny little ant in a world of Godzillas?" Chuck finished her sentence, maintaining his smile on.

"That's one way to describe it, yes," the blonde mimicked his earlier statement, matching his wide smile.

"Well, don't take it personally. Passive-aggressiveness is her trade mark; she's done it for years, and with everyone," he said in a more serious tone.

"I don't. She doesn't know me," Sarah firmly said.

"And she clearly doesn't know you," she added, glancing straight into his eyes.

Chuck felt all his breath being taken away from him. The look in her eyes alone at that moment made him weak on the knees, and accompanied by those words made it even more lethal. The moment was so intense that both felt like the only two people in that big room.

"You know, I'm certain this look will be the end of me one of these days," Chuck softly said on her ear, before flashing her his best geeky, boyish, charming smile.

Sarah offered him a shy smile. One that was becoming very frequent these last couple of days. In that same instant the band started playing "As Time Goes By".

"_You must remember this,_

_A kiss is still a kiss,_

_A sigh is still a sigh._"

"Here's looking at you, kid," Chuck said to Sarah, holding his glass of wine up for her to cheer with.

She seemed to get the reference, and held her glass up as well. Their glasses met making a clicking sound, and both took a quick sip, all without losing the intense eye contact.

"_The fundamental things apply,_

_As time goes by_."

Chuck gently took the glass off of her hand, and placed his and hers on the tray of a waiter that was just passing by. Then he stretched his arm, and offered her his hand.

"May I have this dance?" Chuck, as seductively as Chuck could get, asked Sarah.

Sarah was taken aback in the best way possible.

"First the PDA, and now the dancing. I though you didn't dance," she teased him, containing a massive smile as best as she could.

"Well, I believe I told you this before, but you really do bring out the worst in me," he teased back, keeping his arm stretched out to her, and the charming smile on his face.

She finally gently placed her hand on top of his, and they started walking towards the dance floor, where they joined other couples who danced to the gorgeous tune. They began swaying 

slowly and rather juvenile-like with her hands on top of each of his shoulders, and his grabbing a hold of her waist. Their faces were mere inches apart, and their eye contact said more than a thousand words could ever express.

As the music unfolded they began to catch rhythm. Sarah's hands found their ideal place wrapped around his neck, while his gradually pulled her closer, tying her body in some sort of tender embrace.

Ellie saw her brother and girlfriend from the table, and convinced Awesome to take her for a spin as well. This whole wedding experience was being great to her, she got lots of ideas, and at the same time, the thought of having to plan a massive event like this soon began to feel somewhat frighten. But she didn't have to worry about that now, Ellie was never one to suffer in anticipation.

Chuck saw his sister dancing with her fiancé next to him, and smiled brightly at her. Brighter than she'd ever seen before. Ellie couldn't be happier to see her little brother this happy, more than anyone she felt he deserved this.

And so, they all danced.

"_It's still the same old story,_

_A fight for love and glory,_

_A case of do or die,_

_The world will always welcome lovers,_

_As time goes by._"

The band finished the song and the people on the dance floor clapped, not Chuck and Sarah 'though. They were way too wrapped up in the moment.

"Thanks," Chuck, who still had his cheek glued to Sarah's, whispered softly in her ear.

"For what?" the blonde asked, moving her face back so she could look him in the eyes.

"For allowing us to have this," he genuinely said, holding both of her hands.

Then he opened up a smile, and she coyly smiled back.

The four of them went back to their table, and Brian and Rose commended them on their beautiful dance. They said it was refreshing to see kids who still appreciated great music instead of the random noise they call "music" nowadays.

The rest of the reception went on fast, as it seems to happen in all events you're actually having fun. The main course was served, no-consequence talk was shared, dessert was enjoyed by all, jokes were told, speeches were given, the newlyweds came by to thank them for their presence, the bouquet was tossed by the bride – even 'though neither Sarah or Ellie were willing to sell their dignity to go try to grab it -- cake and champagne got around for all… Oh, wedding bliss!

Both couples went back to their respective room feeling quite spent, and early tomorrow they all had a flight to catch back home. Back to their reality… even 'though the newest couple wanted nothing more than avoid theirs, and stay like this forever.

Chuck got into a pair of black sweats and his brown t-shirt with a picture of a diskette labeled "My Entire Life", while Sarah put on comfy striped pjs, since the night was a bit chillier. They fell in bed exhausted, and she quickly found the nook between his neck and shoulder to rest her head on. She had only discovered the nook one night ago, but she already felt like she couldn't sleep without it. He kissed the top of her head, and breathed in the scent of her hair. It smelled amazing. Then she looked up and he kissed her lips.

"Good night, Sarah," Chuck said, while holding her in his arms.

"Good night, Chuck," she replied, midst a pleased little smile.

He held the hand she placed on top of his stomach, and minutes later they were off.

In the next morning they woke up to find themselves in the exact same position. They were so comfortable that they had barely moved. Unfortunately, it was Monday, and all four of them had to be in LA by 8 to work; so, by 6 they were already up, packed, and ready to head to the airport. Coffee, unfortunately also, would have to be quickly had there.

An hour and so after their plane took off, they touched LA's ground. After a bittersweet farewell in front of the LAX, Chuck and Sarah headed home in different directions. With the consolation that they would soon see each other since they conveniently worked right across from one another.

The minute Chuck passed through the Buy More's front door -- fully dressed in his herder gear -- Morgan rushed excitedly to welcome him back, dismissing Jeff and Lester's company.

"Chuck!" the bearded man called from afar with a smile on his face, while heading towards Chuck.

"My man is back," he added, while patting Chuck's arm.

"My man is back!" Morgan repeated louder to no one in particular, while looking around to fruitless find the person to whom this line was intended to.

"Hey, buddy! Glad to see you, too," Chuck replied midst a big, honest smile.

"I'm so happy you're back, dude! This town isn't the same without you, I was bored out of my skull!" Morgan complained to his friend.

"Yeah, I gathered this much after I saw the eight missed calls, and four text messages from you on my cell yesterday evening," Chuck teased him, with a mockery smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, you weren't picking up. I was worried," Morgan tried cheaply.

"In my defense I was out with Sarah, and only saw your calls when I got back to the B&B. Where I called you back right away, remember?" Chuck light-hearted defended himself.

"No problemo, dude," the shorter man genuinely replied.

"Speaking of which, how were things with your lady friend, huh?" he added, transforming his smiley face into a naughty smiley face.

"You know I'm not one to kiss and tell," Chuck answered, trying his best to keep a grin out of his features, but failing miserably. After all, he was on cloud nine. Actually, he was beyond cloud number nine, if that was possible.

"Come on! You gotta give me at least a little something," Morgan started to plead.

At that moment they saw Sarah getting out of her car, in her uniform, and heading towards the Weinerlicious. Chuck's eyes sparkled.

"Speaking of the devil…" the bearded man added.

Chuck shot him a pointed look.

"Bad phrasing, I guess," he tried to amend, with a weak smile on his face.

"I've been wanting to talk to her. Maybe I should call her cell right now," Chuck said, clearly unable to hide his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead. It'll be interesting to watch," Morgan encouraged his friend.

Chuck took his iPhone out of his pocket and made the call, while he and Morgan eagerly watched like two kids staring at candy in a candy store. Sarah, who was almost reaching the Weinerlicious's front door, stopped on her tracks, opened her bag, and went through it trying to find the device. The guys were highly amused by this scene, and just kept smiling. But then, Sarah, with her iPhone in hand, saw who was calling and, after a few seconds, simply touched the button on the screen ignoring the call, and entering the restaurant.

Awkward. That's how Chuck and Morgan felt… more Chuck than Morgan 'though, obviously. They couldn't quite understand exactly what had just happened.

"That was, uh, a bit weird," Chuck managed to say after a few seconds of silence, while putting his cell back into his pocket.

"Yeah, I guess… Well, maybe she was late, you know, for work and all," Morgan tried to come up with plausible scenarios to appease his friend.

"Yeah, right… I'm sure there's a perfectly understandable explanation for this," Chuck replied honestly, trying to convince not only Morgan but himself of this.

"You two are about to start working soon, or what?" Big Mike asked loudly from near his office.

Morgan moved on fast, and so did Chuck as he tried not to make much of this, after all he was in an excellent mood. The last thing he wanted was to start cooking paranoid thoughts that would only serve to take a tumble on him all the way down from cloud number nine. And a fall like that would be more painful than anything he could ever imagine. He looked around and saw Casey with a customer, Lester working on a palm top, Anna on the phone with some customer in some kind of electronic crisis… So, he went ahead to face another regular day of work.

The morning went by pretty fast. For a Monday the store was unusually packed with customers. In the blink of an eye it was time for lunch break, and Chuck noticed when Casey made a head gesture for him to join him back in the cage. Without further ado he made his way there. He had decided moments ago that he wouldn't let that little incident with Sarah be the rain in his parade. Morgan was probably right, she must have been late for work. Denial can be the sweetest remedy in times of need, and because of it Chuck was able to maintain that certain smile that would very often creep into his face due to the events of the weekend.

"Casey," Chuck greeted the NSA agent, while entering the cage to meet him.

"How have you been?" he added with a smile on his face.

"What's with the smile, Bartowski? Too happy for catching the bouquet?" Casey sarcastically asked, while opening up a laptop that sat on the table.

"Always a pleasure talking to you, Casey," Chuck shot back, stopping beside the table.

What Chuck was unaware of, was the fact that this past weekend, Casey -- besides having some time for a mission with lots of gun play, like he bragged about – was also present at the test of the finished version of the new Intersect, conducted by the highest ranks of the United States Department of Defense. Bottom line is: it failed. They were unable to hypothetically transfer the data from the source to the machine. Both machine and source wound up, well… fried. And the government was beginning to get very frightened by the fact that they would most likely be stuck with Chuck Bartowski for the duration.

"The General wants to brief us," Casey said, while punching some stuff on the laptop's keyboard to patch her through.

In a short while they got the feed showing the General, and a man in his late 40's, early 50's sitting beside her. Chuck and Casey positioned themselves in front of the screen.

"Major, Mr. Bartowski," the General dryly acknowledged both men.

"Where's Agent Walker?" she added in the same tone.

"She's…" Casey promptly began to say.

"Here, General," Sarah completed, stepping into the cage.

Chuck gave her a lingering look, but she barely looked at him. And the fact didn't go unnoticed to Chuck. She then took a place next to him, standing in front of the screen.

"Good. I have here with me Douglas Wentworth, he's a Captain in the U.S. Navy," the General started to say.

"Wait a minute… Captain Douglas Wentworth? Captain Wentworth?!" Chuck pointed out with a wide grin on his face.

"This is too cool… Where's Anne Elliot? You must get this all the time, huh?" he added midst some chuckles.

He looked at the faces on the screen, and at the faces around him for some reaction to this coincidence, but all of them were blank.

"Yes, from teenage girls," the Captain sternly and dryly replied.

That was enough to make Chuck's grin fade away.

"As I was saying, we heard from our sources that Fulcrum agents were using the seas as their main way to transport. We tipped our friends at the Navy, and yesterday Captain Wentworth succeeded in apprehending one of their ships," the General began to inform the three of them.

Chuck took the opportunity to steal a quick glance at Sarah to attempt to read her. Casey saw that. Sarah quickly glanced back at Chuck, too. Casey saw that as well. And Sarah saw that 

Casey saw her. Casey's glance stayed a bit too long on Sarah, which made her feel suspicious of something. But in no time the attention of these three were back at the laptop's screen. Their little glances-exchange happened so fast that both the General and the Captain were oblivious to it.

"There was only one agent aboard and, unfortunately, before she could give us anything solid, she managed to take her own life with a cyanide pill that was hidden in her mouth," the Captain added, pulling his chair closer to the table he and the General were sitting.

"The thing we have to do now is find their other sea routes. That's where you come in Bartowski. I sent Major Casey some satellite images, look them up and see if you get anything. In the meantime you all keep your eyes sharp. I'm waiting to hear from you soon," the General finished before terminating the transmission.

Casey closed down the laptop.

"Get rid of any trace of this feed on the HD," the NSA agent told Chuck, while leaving the cage and heading back to the Buy More's main area.

"Will do, and you're welcome," Chuck replied in mockery, but Casey was already long gone.

Sarah turned around, and was ready to quickly ditch the place as well.

"Hey, wait a minute," Chuck called out to her, while following her quick steps towards the back entrance.

Sarah hesitated, but turned around and looked him in the eye. The instant she did so she knew she was in trouble. Something about his look always had a strange effect on her. A disarming effect that seemed useless and unproductive to fight against it.

Suddenly Chuck didn't know exactly how to do this, how to approach the subject.

"How, uh, have you been?" he asked with a faux smile, mentally kicking himself for sounding this lame.

"Since this morning? Fine," Sarah answered cool as a cucumber, midst a half, polite smile.

Chuck felt bothered by her apparent coolness.

"Good, good… Been busy? You know, frying many…" Chuck continued, but was unable to carry on with this charade.

"Ok, I can't! I just have to say it. You've been avoiding me," he cut to the point, dropping the smile altogether.

"No, I haven't," Sarah denied, not as convincing as she'd have liked to.

"Yes, you have. Just admit it, and do us both a favor. I left you two messages this morning, and until now no reply," Chuck went on, fueled by indignation.

"Well, I'm sorry, but when I got home from the airport I had to write and send my report to the CIA. I was busy," the blonde explained, getting a bit worked up.

And she was telling the truth. She really had to type a report. Now, could she have stopped a little bit to answer the phone? Yes.

"Did you tell Casey about us? He was looking at me in a strange way," it was Sarah's turn to grill him.

"That's just Casey being Casey. No, I haven't said anything to him. I thought you knew me better than that," Chuck answered a bit offended by her absurd accusation.

She regretted asking that. His little dig at her had an impact, she felt hurt. That's why she hated personal confrontation. The lines get to blurry, the boundaries so unclear, and when you realize you've already hurt or you've been hurt. But now she had allowed someone to get too close, too close to actually have this sort of impact on her. It was too late to pull back. She wondered where she got herself into.

"And what if I did? Is this supposed to be a secret?" he added, throwing back at her. His breathing was heavier at this point.

"It's complicated," Sarah replied, even 'though she herself wasn't quite sure of the answer to his question.

"This is not even the point here. The point is I saw you, ok? I watched you as you point-blankly ignored my last call right in front of the Weinerlicious. Just admit it," Chuck said in a drained tone of voice.

Chuck just wanted her to express what she was doing, because the minute she did that, the minute she shed light on the problem, they would be able to fix it. Sarah, on the other hand, didn't expect that one. Both just stood there, one in front of the other, just locked into a staring contest. Seconds passed by, but it felt like hours to them. Finally, Sarah gave in.

"Ok, fine. I admit it, I've been avoiding you," she said very non-convincingly, like she was only doing so to please and appease him.

"If you're going to say it like that," Chuck replied without energy, before turning around and leaving her there alone.

"Ch…" Sarah began and stopped, but she didn't even utter it out loud, it wound up stuck in her throat.

Sarah looked down for a while, frustrated with the situation, with Chuck, but mostly with herself. Shortly after she got out by the back entrance, and got back to work.

Chuck did the same, he got back to work. He knew this woman better by now. He knew she would come around when she was ready. In her own time. Did this knowledge make the situation less frustrating? No. Did it not make him somewhat mad? No. Was Sarah worthy of the whole trouble? Definitely yes.

It was 1:22 AM, and Sarah laid under covers ready to just fall asleep. She felt exhausted, but couldn't sleep. Perhaps for having worked all day on her feet frying wieners, and now the poor things were rightfully complaining; perhaps from having had this big fight with Chuck. Probably the first one, she thought. Realistically speaking, definitely the latter.

She tossed, and turned in bed. She changed positions a hundred times. She stacked two pillows, she removed one, she stacked two again, she removed all of them… and nothing. She just couldn't get comfortable no matter what. She turned on her back to power on the tv, and got a glimpse of Miss Piggy sitting on top of her drawer. She wound up feeling a lot worse. So, she 

lifted the covers up with excessive force due to frustration, and decided to just get up already. Maybe a change of clothing would help. This was the last desperate thing she would try.

On another part of town Chuck laid wide awake under his comforter. After he went through the same mundane routine as ever post getting home from work, he properly unpacked his bags – which he had lazily postponed that morning – worked on his almost finished computer program, and finally hit the sack. If only he had the same control over his mind as he did over his daily routine he would be long asleep by now. Instead Chuck found himself staring at the ceiling thinking about Sarah, and why his love life had to be so damn complicated.

He looked at his alarm-clock for the umpteenth time that night, and it read 2:03 AM. Chuck knew that a while later, when he had to wake up early for work, this little insomnia trick his mind was pulling on him would be and feel like hell. Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from his bedroom door, but before he could feel scared for his life he saw none other than Sarah coming in.

Sarah – who was wearing a black trench coat -- stealthily got in, and carefully closed the door behind her. When she turned around her first reaction was surprise, to see that Chuck was awake; and the second was a touched feeling, to see that Chuck was awake. She didn't count on this. She didn't have a plan. She thought she would figure out once she got there, or at least have some time to do so. She was wrong.

So, she just stood there near his bed. Chuck looked at her, she looked at him… Sometimes that's just what it takes for two people to communicate, and that time was definitely one of those times. She looked somewhat broken, vulnerable, and her eyes displayed a shade of blue that Chuck hadn't seen before. Although, at the same time, he sensed some sereneness as well… it was hard to describe, but it felt like he truly saw her. He wasn't ready to delve, but his mind briefly wondered if this weird sensation, this acute awareness, this inexorable force, could actually, and in fact, be… love.

Without moving in bed, Chuck grabbed the opposite end of the comforter, and pulled it down as an invite. Sarah, who had been watching him with the upmost attention, was relieved to see him offer an olive branch. She slipped out of her shoes, and undid her trench coat, letting it fall to the ground. When she did so it revealed what she was wearing: black fitted sweat pants, and his white "Working Class Hero" t-shirt. She snagged the item when they were packing to get back home from the wedding. Earlier she had used it as a last resort to see if she could fall asleep. It didn't work either. Chuck was surprised, he didn't notice the missing item while unpacking; and amused, not that he was ready to offer her the satisfaction of a smile from him at that point. She would have to work a little harder after what she pulled on him yesterday. A few more minutes would do the trick.

Sarah got in bed with Chuck. She moved slowly, and with caution, but in mere moments she had found it: the nook. Her nook.

A few minutes of complete silence passed as both let what was going on sink in.

"You've ruined it for me, you know?" Sarah softly said, resting her head comfortably on the nook.

"Being alone," she added, looking up at him.

Chuck looked down at her, and held it like that for a few seconds. Then, he leaned down and kissed her gently and yet intensely.

She wanted to start this whole monologue about how sorry she was that she let the doubts took over her. That she allowed their insertion back into reality scare her, and so on. But she had a feeling Chuck knew all that more than well. So, she resulted to:

"I'm sorry," she stated sincerely.

"I know," he replied just as sincerely.

Her feeling was more than right.

"What will we do?" Sarah asked clearly conflicted with uncertainty of things to come.

"We'll deal with it in the morning," Chuck answered resolutely.

In a matter of minutes, miraculously, they were both asleep.

Chuck woke up, and before opening his eyes he felt Sarah. Her warmth, her scent, were all over. He felt like smiling. He opened his eyes, and there she was, with her arm wrapped around him. Whatever it was that he was feeling at that moment, he was sure that he wanted to feel for the rest of his life. And that awareness struck a chord in him. He had to do something about this.

Chuck looked at the clock and it was 5:58 AM. Then, he carefully moved Sarah's hand, so he could get up. After he succeeded, he put his slippers on, grabbed the satellite images Casey had handed him yesterday, and silently went out through his bedroom's window in his sweats and t-shirt.

A few steps later he reached his destination: Casey's door. Chuck knocked loudly and incessantly until the NSA agent flung the door open. His face was sour, and his eyes were half closed, as he stood there in his robe. Both men with apparent bed hair.

"Do you know what time is it?" Casey asked in fury.

"Last time I checked it was 5:58; so, it must be around 6:00 now," Chuck smart mouthed.

Casey was in no mood for cute. Even less than usual.

"I've got a gun, and I'm dying to use it," the agent murmured through gritted teeth.

Then he opened his robe to show a gun half stuffed in his boxer shorts.

"That would be sexy, if it weren't disturbingly gross," Chuck stated, deviating his eyes.

The truth was he had no time to waste. So, he boldly pushed pass Casey, and entered his apartment.

"We have to talk," Chuck firmly said, while entering.

"This better be important, Bartowski. Or…" Casey said touching his weapon, and shutting the door closed.

**TBC.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: marybr

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 16/17

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and all the love this fic received along this long ride! You guys rock, really. I know it's been a while since I don't update, things are getting busier by the day, but I'm making up to all of you and posting this über new chapter. I hope you enjoy as much as I did writing it :D

**Chapter XVI**

Casey watched as Chuck took a seat on his sofa without ceremony.

"I need to speak to the General," Chuck simply stated with confidence in his voice.

"What? Why? Did you have a flash?" Casey asked while moving to stand next to the sofa, interested all of the sudden, after taking a look at the satellite images on Chuck's lap.

However, Chuck had no interest to keep chit-chatting with Casey. He had a resolution, for once in his life. So, he ignored the agent's questions.

"Is she up already?" the geek asked, while glancing at his watch.

Casey wanted answers, but he didn't want to waste the opportunity to exalt the Agency. He never passed on those.

"The General is always up. U.S.'s National Security never sleeps," the agent stated as a matter of fact and proudly so.

"Good. So, uh, do your thing with the tv, and put her on," Chuck said, motioning to Casey's flat screen.

"Tell me what's this all about first," Casey firmly put it.

Chuck was getting impatient. He needed to do this, and he needed to do this now.

"Casey, please. It's urgent," he pleaded with a serious look on his eyes.

Casey looked back at Chuck, and sensed he meant it. After a few seconds of inner debate he decided to oblige. Not without stomping all the way to the tv of course, to make sure Chuck got that he was doing this despite his will.

After Casey did his magic General Beckman appeared on the screen.

"What is it, Major?" the General asked from behind her desk.

"Bartowski needs to speak to you, General," Casey replied, pulling his robe tighter, and regretting being dressed this casually.

"What is it, Mr. Bartowski? Do you have something new for us?" the woman asked, shifting her focus from Casey to Chuck.

"Yes General, but first I have another thing to tell you," Chuck began, and felt his mouth go as dry as the desert.

General Beckman continued to look straight at him, waiting for what he had to say.

"Uh, I wanted to say, well… I wanted to tell you, or inform you," Chuck was clearly nervous.

"Sarah, well, agent Walker and I… we, uh, we have feelings for each other. And we have had them for quite some time, but we won't, we will not deny them anymore. I don't know exactly what we have, I don't know if it will ultimately amount to anything, all I know is that I care very deeply for her, and all I want is the chance… the liberty to try to figure us out. Without any interference from you and the government that is. I don't think it's too much to ask, is it?" Chuck let it all out at once, catching his breath by the end of the monologue.

Chuck downplayed a little the "thing" he and Sarah had. He always believed that certain particulars of a couple's relationship should stay between the two of them, and between the two of them only. Both of them knew exactly the depth of their feelings for one another, there was no need to splash all over it. Especially in a situation such as this one.

Casey was shocked, and his eyes grew wide. Not that he hadn't notice the "situation" between Walker and Bartowski before. One must have been blind to miss that. But he was surprised that the geek had the nerve to bring this up to the General.

The General was surprised as well. Not that she let it show through her James Lipton façade. Unlike Casey, she truly had no idea this was going on.

"Well, Mr. Bartowski, clearly agent Walker is compromised. There is no possibility to your request, I'm afraid. I'll get in touch with the CIA immediately, and have agent Walker reassigned…" the woman said dictatorially, before she got cut all of the sudden.

"No, no! Wait a minute!" Chuck interrupted her speaking louder, while standing up from the sofa.

Casey just watched the whole scene attentively. He would never believe it if he weren't seen this with his own pair of eyes.

"I've never asked for this, I've never asked to have the Intersect stored in my head. From day one all I've ever done was be nice, and help you and the government out with whatever you needed. I don't even get paid to do so!" Chuck began to get worked up.

General Beckman was about to say something, but Chuck was on a roll.

"I've never asked for anything before, and the only thing I'm asking now is for you people to just let me live my life normally. It seems to slip your mind that you need me, not the other way around. If you don't let me live or if you reassign Sarah you might as well count me out. No more cooperation from me. You'll have to look for another Intersect; the problem is, this is the only one available. I don't care what you may do to me, not anymore" he finished, letting his body fall back onto the sofa.

"Are you blackmailing us, Mr. Bartowski? We don't negotiate with blackmailers," General Beckman replied steadily, but visibly taken aback.

"No, not at all, General. All I'm asking is for a little respect, since I've always shown you nothing but," Chuck delivered, much more calmly now.

Casey was, dare he think, impressed. No matter how wrong and unprofessional he thought this situation between the lovebirds were, he had to hand it that at least CIA was helping Bartowski to grow a pair. He had worked under the General's orders for many moons, and it was extremely rare the times he witnessed a man standing up to her like this.

Chuck felt a knot in his stomach, but at least he felt relief as well. Either way, he came and he said what he wanted. The situation needed resolution, for better or for worse. It was a price he now knew he was willing to pay.

The General thought for a few seconds. She hated to compromise, but she also felt cornered. Maybe this was one of those situations you have to weight how much you will gain, and how much you will lose.

"Fair enough, Mr. Bartowski. But at the very first minute this thing between you two has the smallest effect on a mission, our deal is off. And Major Casey will be sure to let me know," Beckman said with her reinstated James Lipton façade.

"Great," Chuck stated, unable to wipe a wide grin off of his face.

He couldn't believe he had done it.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to share what I got from these images," he added, while holding them up.

The rest of the briefing went quite smoothly, and Casey headed to open the door for Chuck.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Casey warned him, holding the door up.

"I do," Chuck replied simply, but knowingly.

Chuck would ask Casey to check if he hadn't peed himself after the tense talk with Beckman. However, he felt the NSA agent didn't share of the same awesome mood he was in. So, he just turned around and headed home. In utter bliss.

He tried the front door, but it was locked. He had forgotten about coming out from his bedroom's window. So, Chuck made his way over there and climbed back in. He had his back turned to the bed, and he was closing the window when Sarah woke up and noticed where he was coming from.

"Hey," she said huskily, in a freshly-awake low tone.

Chuck turned around startled by her sudden awaken.

"Hi, good morning," he replied with a sweet smile on his face.

"Where were you?" Sarah asked getting situated, and propping her head up with her left arm as support.

"I was at Casey's," Chuck answered directly, making his way to the bed and hovering above her from his side of the bed.

There was no need to hide anything from her, he thought.

"Why? Something happened? Did you have a flash?" she bombarded him with questions, while sitting up in worry.

"No, no. Everything's fine," Chuck answered calmly, while taking a seat on the bed.

"I just needed to talk to the General…" he added quite nonchalantly, and couldn't keep a grin out of his face.

Sarah shot him a concerned look with a hint of pissed-off in it as well, he assessed. Before she could say anything, which Chuck was sure she was about to, he thought it was best to lay it all out straight.

"…about us, I mean," Chuck finished to make it perfectly clear.

"What?! Why?! What did you tell her?! What did she…" Sarah started to fire the questions at him, clearly angry and worked up by that time.

"Hey, hey… Sarah," Chuck cut her off, and tried to hold her hand, but she was reluctant and pulled her hand back.

"Listen, uh, remember that day? When we had just met? By the beach?" he added, trying to lock eyes with her, albeit to her reluctance.

"You asked me to trust you? Remember? And I did, I really did. Despite the circumstances… And I still do," Chuck said softly, finally managing to catch her gaze.

Sarah seemed calmer somehow. And she remembered. How could she forget?

"Now, all I'm asking is for you to do the same for me. Trust me," he finished with an even softer voice, holding out his hand for her on top of the bed in hopes she would take it.

Sarah looked from his warm brown eyes to his outstretched hand on the bed, over the bed sheets she laid beneath, and she couldn't help herself. She placed her hand on top of his, and he closed it caressing hers gently. There was something about this man that could simply disarm her, and she knew she was in trouble.

Chuck smiled softly at her.

"I just needed to talk to her and put the cards on the table. No more secrets, no more pretending. If we're gonna make it, it will be like this. And I got it; I got what I wanted from her. We're free to explore this," Chuck chuckled while motioning back and forth from him to her.

A sparkle crossed through Sarah's eyes as she heard that. And all the thoughts of "how could this be", and "how did he pull this off" suddenly seemed unimportant.

"'Cause I'm not playing here. This is it for me, Sarah. I'm in this for real, 100 percent. Body and soul, as cheesy as it sounds," Chuck delivered in this sexy, deep, assertive tone, looking straight into her eyes, which would have made her knees buckle if she were standing up.

"And if by any chance you don't feel the same. If by any chance you're not this invested, this would be the time to say it," he added not quite so empowered, but wanting to cover his bases, all without losing eye contact.

Sarah was… speechless. Was this guy for real? It simply was too good to be true.

Chuck got worried with her silence.

"Please, say something," he almost pleaded, unconsciously holding her hand a bit tighter.

"I'm sorry… I'm just…," Sarah tried, facing some trouble to sound coherent.

Chuck stared at her expectantly. Like a convict waiting for the jury to read his sentence. I mean, deep down he knew how she felt for him, but Chuck was never the type of guy to cockily take things, or people, for granted.

Sarah was fairly new at this putting-feelings-into-words thing. It never came naturally to her. The natural for her was putting walls up and securing her heart as if it was a fortress. From her past experiences things never turned out the best when you allowed anyone in. All you accomplished was a big heartache. However, with Chuck, she found herself willing to improve those types of emotional shortcomings. She felt compelled to try and that said a lot about the depth of her feelings for the nerd. The walls were slowly coming down.

"It's just, you never cease to amaze me," she added coyly, slightly blushing afterwards.

Chuck opened up his trademark mega watt smile for her.

"Of course I'm in. Body and soul," Sarah finished smiling, teasing Chuck by hitting with a sarcastic tone her last phrase.

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm there?" Chuck rhetorically asked, raising one of his eyebrows for comic effect.

"Yes, I think I do. I'll show you…" Chuck said before flanging himself on top of Sarah.

He started to tickle her, she tried in vain to escape – not with all her might, of course, otherwise Chuck would be no match for her -- and they both laughed out loud. Then the tickling naturally gave room for some light kisses, which gave room for some deeper ones, which transformed into a full make-out session. A few moments later the couple was interrupted by Chuck's alarm clock, which went off playing a weird music.

Chuck swiftly hit the snooze button midst the make-out. However, Sarah, against her will, mustered up the strength to pull apart.

"I need to… get… to work," she stated softly in between stolen kisses by Chuck.

"And so do you," Sarah added more resolutely, successfully managing to get up.

"No, come back," Chuck whined adorably, rolling around and laying on his back.

"I have to go home to pick up my Orange Orange uniform," she said while taking off Chuck's 'Working Class Hero' t-shirt -- she had a white tank top underneath.

"I so liked the Wienerlicious's uniform better," Chuck unconsciously mused.

"Were you allowed to keep it?" he joked light-heartily midst a smug.

Sarah merely laughed out loud. Then she turned her back on him, and proceeded to his dresser to put the t-shirt in it.

Chuck just kept watching her like she was the best movie he had ever seen. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"You can keep it," Chuck softly said, watching her fold the t-shirt and open his top drawer.

"It's ok, I'll have other chances to snag it," Sarah replied flirting, looking briefly back at him.

Both couldn't keep the sort of stupid grin one has when in love out of their features.

As Sarah carefully placed the t-shirt in the drawer, her face reacted to something she found in it. She grabbed it and turned around to Chuck.

Without saying anything, and with a blank face, Sarah just held it up, showing it to Chuck. It was a picture frame, with a photo of her and Chuck in it. The one she had taken herself with him in this same bedroom many moons ago. After the whole bug issue. This one had no bugs in it, of course; and it was a present from Sarah after the fore mentioned Comic Con fiasco. She had one just like that, 'though hers was still on display.

"Oh, that… I had to put it away," Chuck calmly said.

He would have stopped there for mild saving-face purposes, but Sarah's still blank face clearly awaited more.

"It was taunting me, ok?" he added, not quite as shamefully as he previously thought it would be seconds before.

Sarah's blank face quickly shifted into a smiling one. Well, a bit of a smirking one, Chuck assessed.

Could he be any more adorable? Sarah thought, turning her back on Chuck again to close the drawer.

"Hey, don't gloat!" Chuck protested with a smile after she had closed the drawer, and was placing the picture on top of the dresser.

"I'm not. I'm not gloating," Sarah softly protested back, midst a laugh, while squatting down to pick up her trench coat and shoes.

"Well, it seems like gloating to me," he lightly joked, stacking another pillow under his head to watch her better.

Sarah, with shoes and coat in hand, placed the latter on the bed, and sat down next to it – and next to Chuck – to put her shoes on.

"It's adorable, actually," Sarah confessed, stealing a quick look to her right at Chuck.

Chuck couldn't help but smile wider at that.

Successfully putting her shoes on, Sarah got up, and also put on her trench. All under a dutifully watch on Chuck's part. His fascination was beyond evident to anyone with a pair of eyes. Actually, a single eye would do just fine as well.

"I'm ready," Sarah stated, running a hand through her Bündchen-like blonde locks.

"Don't go. Let's just blow off work and spend the whole day in bed, under covers. Now that's a type of 'undercover' I can live with," Chuck joked, outstretching his arm and offering her his hand.

She obliged and took his hand, but both knew this was a possibility with no possibilities. So, they just knowingly smiled at each other.

"I know the way out," Sarah said before leaning on, and planting a soft kiss on Chuck's lips.

After the smooch both lingered a bit longer touching foreheads. Eventually, Sarah pulled back.

"No, I'll walk you," Chuck replied smiling softly, and letting go of her hand so he could get up.

Chuck got up, and started to lead her out of his bedroom. His hand made its way to the small of her back. Sarah liked that feeling. So did he.

"By the way, how did you get in the house last night?" Chuck asked with a puzzled look on his face, even 'though he positively knew the answer to that; while he opened up his bedroom's door for her.

"Oh, I… uh, I picked your lock. I'm sorry," Sarah answered a bit embarrassed, while they entered the living room.

"Well, I'm not," Chuck stated smiling, and looking directly into her eyes.

Sarah smiled back, a tad shyly at that, but surely pleased.

"Sarah… hi!" Ellie called out from the kitchen in surprise, seeing the lovebirds on the living room.

The couple stopped their walk towards the front door for a minute.

"Hi, Ellie!" Sarah called back.

"Aren't you staying for breakfast?" the brunette enthusiastically asked, while stirring something that couldn't be seen from where they stood.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I have to get home fast to get ready for work," the blonde explained with a friendly smile on her face.

"Are you sure? I'm making blueberry pancakes," Ellie tempted her, holding a pot with batter up so she could see it.

Chuck watched his sister and his real girlfriend interacting, and it made him even happier, if that was at all possible.

"Oh, I wish I could… Rain check?" Sarah over dramatized, then politely and charmingly asked.

"Sure, anytime," the big sister politely answered back.

Ellie looked from Sarah to Chuck and was happy to see her brother this happy.

"Nice seeing you," the brunette added with a wider smile.

"You, too," Sarah replied mimicking Ellie's manners.

Chuck smiled at Ellie, appreciating his sister's sympathy towards his girlfriend, and the couple resumed their walk towards the front door.

"So…" Chuck slowly said, opening the door.

"So…" Sarah replied in the same tone, and with a smile.

"I'm glad you dropped by," he stated charmingly and softly, holding the half-open door.

"My pleasure," she flirtatiously replied, making his knees buckle.

Chuck leaned forward and kissed her. Gently, but meaning business. Now her knees buckled a bit.

"See you later?" Chuck asked on cloud nine.

"Sure," Sarah replied, before turning around and leaving.

Chuck watched her in awe. When Sarah reached the gate she turned around and gave him a cute wave before disappearing entirely from view. Chuck finally closed the door, and made his way to the kitchen.

Ellie placed the last two perfectly-shaped pancakes on a medium sized stack, which sat on a big white plate. Then she turned off the oven as Chuck crossed from the living room to the kitchen. He went straight to his sister and gave her a caring side hug that lingered more than your regular normal one.

"Someone is feeling chipper," the brunette assessed midst a genuine smile, after Chuck let her off the hug.

"Well, I guess you could say that," he replied matching her smile.

Ellie took the plate of pancakes and headed for the dining room table, which was already sat for breakfast. And Chuck followed her.

"Either way, I'm glad to see you like this," Ellie stated, while sitting down at the table.

Chuck sat down as well, and pondered what she had said for a few seconds.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm finally getting back on track here," Chuck responded honestly, with a peculiar introspective sort of smile on his face. Suddenly feeling a sense of direction he hasn't felt since he was expelled from Stanford.

At that moment he felt so good on his skin. Comfortable yet again, and it hit him like a ton of bricks how much he had missed that feeling. How much it really mattered to him. He was lost and now he was found… he could grasp the real concept behind those lines in that instant.

"Good," Ellie simply put, pouring them some oj, and taking the time to properly assess the new glow on her brother's face. This was better than she had imagined.

"Which leads me to another topic I've been wanting to talk to you about," Chuck said, forking a pancake and putting on his plate.

Ellie nodded a 'go-ahead' and forked a pancake for herself.

"You know, you and Awesome are engaged, which I'm very happy about," he started slowly, before taking a sip of his juice.

Ellie simply offered him a tight-lip smile in appreciation, as she chewed a mouthful of pancake. He quickly smiled back.

"And you guys need your privacy, I mean, I don't think my heart can take another run with you lovebirds on the shower," Chuck added with a light-hearted joke, midst a chuckle.

Ellie could see now where this was going.

"So, I think it's time for me, uh, you know… Start looking for my own place," the younger brother finished softly.

"Oh, Chuck. You don't have to, I mean, we love to have you…" Ellie started genuinely in a distressed tone.

"I know, I know… really, sis. You see, I don't know what I would have done without you," Chuck interrupted her softly, placing a hand on top of hers on the table.

"You were really there for me when I needed you the most, and I know that I can count on you for anything. But I know what I want to do now, with my future I mean. You probably don't know this but I've been working on a project for quite some time, and I truly think I have something good," he added in the same tone, taking the chance to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Ellie was touched and surprised; she really had no idea about that.

"And even if it doesn't amount to anything, I still got a job at the Buy More for now to pay the bills. But the important thing is I know where I'm headed, and I know I have to do this. I need to find my own place. Who knows? Maybe I'll make you proud," Chuck finished with a wide smile, giving a quick rub on her hand, and finally letting go of it.

"Oh, Chuck," the older sister let out in between a sigh and a head shake.

"You already do," she added softly, touching the side of his face, and trying to keep some tears at bay.

Chuck covered the hand on his face with his own, and smiled sweetly at his sister. He must have done something good to deserve a sibling like Ellie, he thought to himself.

"I want you to know that you'll always have a home here. No matter what," the brunette finished, retrieving her hand.

"I know," was all Chuck answered. They needed nothing more.

They took the moment in for a few seconds, before Chuck got up from the table.

"I have to get ready for work now," Chuck stated, gripping with both hands the back of his now empty chair.

"Ok," Ellie replied with a small smile, while holding her glass of oj.

Chuck smiled back, turned around, and started walking towards his room. Ellie took a look at his vacant chair, and couldn't help but feel a bit sad. She had gotten so used to have Chuck around all the time… Since a young age they were both very close to one another, especially due to their upbringing circumstances. She sure was happy for him, she sure knew this was going to happen eventually, but another thing was for sure: she appreciated her brother's company.

"Hey, Chuck," the older sister called out, making him turn around.

"I'm going to miss you," Ellie added softly, bitter sweetness in her eyes, and a graceful smile on her features.

Chuck smiled back at her. His trademark mega watt smile.

"Don't I know?" the younger brother joked in reply, morphing his smile into a smirk.

Ellie laughed while grabbing a scone from the breakfast table, and throwing it at Chuck. Who swiftly – and uncharacteristically – managed to catch it, and proceeded to take a big bite, before turning around to leave again.

The brunette woman, still with a smile on her face, turned all her attention back to her plate of pancakes. Reason why she was surprised when she heard Chuck's call coming from the small corridor that led to their rooms.

"Hey, sis," came his call, which made Ellie turn around to face him.

Only Chuck's head was visible as he merely peered from behind the corridor's wall.

"I'll miss you, too," he added softly, and with a tender smile gracing his features.

Ellie matched his smile. It looked natural on the Bartowskis's faces.

"Even 'though I'll probably be in the same neighborhood, that is," Chuck finished with a wink, before finally, and successfully reaching his room.

It didn't take long for Chuck to get ready to work, and having the Nerd Herd mobile with him made commute even easier.

Chuck sat at the Nerd Herd station, going through the newspaper he bought on his way in, as he tried to find a place to rent. The day couldn't be slower for the herders. He got interrupted by the ring of his iPhone 'though. Chuck grabbed the sharpie from his mouth, dropped it on the counter, and checked the screen. Sarah's picture was displayed, which was enough to bring a foolish grin to Chuck's face.

"Missing me already?" he answered the phone in playfulness, unable to wipe the grin off.

"Sure, who wouldn't?" Sarah played along, leaning on the Orange Orange counter and displaying a similar grin on her face.

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to grab lunch or something," she added softly, with a hint of shyness in her tone. Vulnerability was still something new to her.

"Of course, in fact I was planning on giving you a call to ask the same thing," Chuck categorically answered, squashing any uncertainties she had without even realizing.

"Oh, I'm glad we're in sync, then," the blonde replied joking light-heartily, unconsciously letting the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"The pizza place at noon?" she gently added in question.

"Perfect, I'll swing by to get you," Chuck answered more enthusiastically than he had planned. He couldn't help.

"No, the pizza place is closer to the Buy More. I'll drop by to meet you," Sarah countered politely.

"That's fine," the nerd said midst a smile.

"Ok, it's set. I have to go now, someone's here," the woman started to reply.

"I don't know how these people can eat this much frozen yogurt," she added in a whisper volume, after facing away from the costumer.

"See you in an hour," Sarah finished, returning to her normal level of voice, and sounding sweeter.

"See ya," Chuck replied with a chuckle, before turning the phone off.

The pleasant feeling of talking to Sarah lingered on for a bit while Chuck stuffed the phone back into his pocket, and retrieved the sharpie from the counter. The marker soon found her way back into his mouth as he continued the hunt for a place to live. Shortly after Morgan approached him.

"My life couldn't suck any harder," Morgan stated gloomily from outside the Nerd Herd station, letting his head fall to the counter for dramatic effect.

"Care to elaborate, bearded friend?" Chuck asked without taking his eyes from the paper.

"I just attempted my sixth sale today and yet no successful outcome. 0-5 to team Morgan, I'm afraid, buddy," he said with his head still down.

"Don't blame yourself. Blame the economic crisis," the taller man replied with a smirk, looking from the paper to his friend's back of the head, and back to the paper.

"You're right. Yes, I think I will. Thanks!" Morgan said enthusiastically, after lifting his head up.

"Not for that," Chuck replied with a smile, circling something on the paper with his sharpie.

"What's with the paper?" the shorter man asked, noticing the item for the first time.

"Oh, I'm looking for my own place. I'm moving from Ellie's," Chuck normally answered looking at his friend.

"What?! Hold the phone! You're moving? When did this happen?" Morgan asked rather franticly.

"It's been a while since I decided, but now I'm actually going for it. I thought I had mentioned something," Chuck replied casually, putting the sharpie back into his mouth.

"This is wrong. Morgan doesn't like changes," the bearded man stated, shaking his head for emphasis.

"Well, Morgan should stop talking about himself in the third person. It's creepy. Plus, it's not a big deal. It's not like I'm moving to another country, or even another city. I'm just changing street names in the same zip code," Chuck said patiently, giving his friend his whole attention this time.

"I don't know…" Morgan said unconvincingly, tracing the counter with his index finger.

"Think about all the fun we could have without Ellie telling you to get lost," Chuck joked to soothe his friend.

"Plus, this will never change," he added, pointing back and forth from him to Morgan to signalize their connection.

"You might be on to something, my friend. This situation has potential," Morgan stated, caressing his beard for comic purposes.

"Alright, it's approved," the man declared finally, slamming his hand moderately on the counter.

"Really? Jeez, I appreciate your approval," Chuck let out ironically, midst a good-natured smile.

"Now, see that woman?" he added, pointing at a middle-aged lady.

Morgan simply nodded in confirmation.

"Well, it's the third day I see her come in here to buy that fridge. She's been romancing the thing since day one. Who knows? Maybe today is the day she will actually buy it. It might as well be from you. So, go ahead before another salesman catches her," Chuck finished firmly.

Morgan rushed towards the lady.

"Thanks again, buddy!" he called out from afar, to which Chuck just smiled and shook his head.

After assisting two customers with their digital camera and cell phone, Chuck sat once again going through his paper when Sarah dropped by. He watched her walking, well, swaying from the front door all the way down to the Nerd Herd station. She moved as in slow motion, blonde locks bouncing up and down with each step. Truly one of God's masterpieces, Chuck mused inside his head.

She reached the station, rested both folded arms flirtatiously on the counter, leaned over and placed a soft kiss on a gob smacked Chuck. His eyes stayed closed quite longer than hers, which brought a smile to Sarah's lips.

"We should definitely always greet like this," Chuck stated softly with his trademark mega watt smile on his face.

Sarah just smiled at his remark.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked nicely, smile still in place.

"Yeah, let me just…" Chuck replied, getting the lid of his sharpie on, and folding his newspaper to put it under the counter.

"Keeping up with the world's events?" Sarah good-naturedly enquired with a hint of sarcasm on her tone and a Cheshire grin on her face, while she eyed the paper on his hand.

"This? No, I'm just looking for a place," Chuck said straight forwardly, successfully putting the items away.

"I'm moving out from Ellie's, like I told you before," he added in the same tone, walking out of the station and joining Sarah.

"Really?" the blonde rhetorically asked, assessing the features on the face of the man beside her.

He looked happy, ergo, she was happy.

"Well, I'm happy for you," she honestly added, with the sweetest smile on her face.

Chuck put one arm around her shoulder, and both started walking to the front door.

"If you knew the price tags on those rents you wouldn't be so chipper," Chuck joked, putting on a fake serious face.

"I wonder if you'll still have me when I'm living in a cardboard box," he added in the same tone, and demeanor.

As they walked Sarah looked to her side at Chuck, and there was a palpable moment of locked eyes action.

"Do you really have to ask?" Sarah rhetorically asked. It was like her beautiful blue eyes were smiling to him.

Chuck felt a shortage of air, and he was certain this woman would be the death of him. Truth was: he didn't care. If it was the case, he would die the happiest man. Like that he offered her the brightest smile, and kissed her softly on the temple.

As the couple was about to reach the front door, Casey discretely approached them.

"Hate to rain on the sweethearts' lunch parade, but we have some place else to go," the NSA agent ironically said.

"There's a van parked on the back. Follow me," he added in a firm tone.

As they walked to the van Casey briefly explained that General Beckman contacted him to inform of their new mission: Jaime Garcia Andes. A 45 year-old, Spanish bioterrorist, who sold viruses on the black market to the highest bidder. The guy was extra low key, didn't trust a soul -- reason why he had no body guards whatsoever – and there were no pictures of what he looked like. Except in the Intersect.

A CIA source gathered that Andes would be in LA for the weekend. He had a meeting with one of LA's most notorious playboy, Douglas Carlton. Son of US's automobile mogul, Callum Carlton. Let's just say that they wouldn't be wining, dining, and chatting. Andes had in his hands a new, powerful and deadly variation of the variola virus.

US's National Security was after Andes for many years, and now they were able to pin him down. The game plan was: Chuck would enter the bar of Monte Carlo's (the fancy hotel Andes was staying on) and identify the man. Sarah would come in – from the little they knew about Andes it included his weakness (pretty ladies) and his passion for tacky clothes – charm him and spike his drink with a sleeping substance. Casey would stay monitoring in the van.

As Casey put it, the heavy lifting would be done by the NSA tac team that was assembled almost a year ago to get this guy. They would be the ones "extracting" an unconscious Andes from Monte Carlo's, without making a fuzz that could scare Carlton Junior. Then an agent of the same team would be the one impersonating Andes on the meeting with Junior to safely – and with proof beyond shadow of doubt – apprehend this playboy with high connections, and a flare for being a sociopath.

Sarah, Chuck, and Casey reached the van. The latter started to drive on to their destiny, Sarah sat beside him and Chuck got stuck with ridding in the back.

"There's a change of clothes for both of you in the bag on the back. You can't walk into Monte Carlo's wearing… that," Casey stated, taking the chance to look beside him and scrutinize Sarah's uniform.

"Always so full of compliments," Chuck joked, scooting over to make room for Sarah, who was moving from the front to the back to change.

Both jumped to the far back of the van, where the bag and the whole spy paraphernalia were. Sarah opened the bag and started to hand Chuck his clothes. A pair of classy khakis, a light blue long-sleeved dress shirt, and caramel shoes.

"No peaking, huh, Casey?" Chuck joked again, and started to change.

Casey was about to deliver a snarky innuendo regarding the reason behind Chuck's jolly mood, but instead he just cocked an eyebrow and grunted.

Sarah took the items meant for her out of the bag. There was a micro, loud tangerine dress, and a pair of aged metallic bronze sandals. Chuck, who was in the middle of taking off his pants, took a good look at the dress and wondered where the rest of it was, but didn't say anything.

Chuck finished changing first, and Sarah was not far behind him. By the time Chuck saw the tiny tangerine dress -- which barely reached the middle of her thighs – on Sarah, it was too late to control the words that came from his mouth.

"You're not seriously wearing that," he let out more subconsciously than anything else, while ogling her dress.

Chuck noticed how Sarah's face sort of reacted to that comment. A far from pleased reaction. He also had the chance to briefly assess Casey's eyes on the rear-view mirror from inside of the van. It didn't look good either, to say the least.

"Is, uh, the exact type of comment you'll never hear me saying. Ever!" Chuck tried to mend what he had said, and appease the situation. He laughed awkwardly after delivering the line.

Casey and Sarah didn't… laugh, that is. Aside the tension in the air, he just proceeded to drive, and she proceeded to gear herself and Chuck with ear comms and the latter with a pair of neat glasses, which had a tiny camera that would allow Casey to see whatever Chuck was seeing.

As they sat in silence in the van, Chuck let his mind wander how this new situation with him and Sarah would work when they were in missions. This was so very new to him that he hadn't had the time to really wrap his mind around the whole idea. From the little incident that just happened, he was certain it would be difficult. Difficult in more ways, shapes and forms than this. What would happen when life and death were in play to be dealt with? Questions aside, the real point was: did it matter? Deep down, did it truly matter? All it took was a stolen glance to the lady in tangerine by his side, and the answer couldn't be clearer. He never thought his little bearded friend would be coming through his mind at that time, but the man was right. In the end nothing else mattered 'cause he, Chuck Bartowski, would be the one coming home to that. And at that point he could surely stand by the fact that, as miraculous as it sounded, the feeling was mutual. All the others facts paled in comparison.

They soon arrived at their destination, and everything went by smoothly as planned. Casey was right: they were back in time to grab a quick lunch, in fact, they had 10 whole minutes to do so. Not that Casey cared to join them, of course.

Chuck and Sarah, back in their uniforms, walked side by side towards the pizza place for a quick bite. Apparent to Chuck was this substantial space between then, literally not metaphorically.

"Ok, come on… Are you mad at me, or something?" Chuck asked unable to contain himself for another step, and in consequence not taking another.

Sarah took another two steps before realizing Chuck had stopped. He took another step to talk face to face.

Sarah stayed for a moment in silence just looking at him point blank. Chuck stared back trying to assess what was going on up in her head. It goes without saying that he felt apprehensive.

"I don't know. I'll have to think about it some more," Sarah finally replied, trying unsuccessfully to disguise a malicious smirk.

With that she started walking again. It took a few seconds for her line to sink in, and Chuck had to run a bit to catch up to her with a grin on his face.

"Right, thinking about it. I can live with that. Is there something I could do to, I don't know, speed up this process of yours?" Chuck asked charmingly, flashing his mega watt smile.

"You can start by buying lunch," Sarah replied with a wicked smile on her face.

Chuck laughed, and held her hand as they reached the pizza place. She held his hand back.

**1 Month Later**

Chuck looked at the reflection of himself in his bedroom's mirror. He didn't look bad in his dark gray suit, white dress shirt, and dark aubergine tie. He took the time to smooth his hair with both hands one last time, and after taking a long, deep breath he was done with the mirror.

The tall man walked through a sea of cardboard boxes arranged on the floor of his bedroom. It took him, Sarah, Morgan, Ellie, and even Awesome, a while but they managed to successfully pack his lifetime belongings. Chuck looked around and spotted his paper in professional binding. After grabbing it he left his room.

"Hey, you look nice!" Ellie exclaimed enthusiastically from the dining room table, where she was sitting with a bunch of papers and magazines spread across it.

"Thanks! For the tie as well," Chuck replied with a smile on his face as he held the item in question for effect.

"It suits you quite nicely, plus it makes you look professional," the brunette said midst a sweet smile, while getting up and coming to meet her brother.

"How are the wedding plans and sitting charge coming along, by the way?" Chuck asked with honest interest, and a sympathetic smile.

"Giving me a headache that's for sure, but enjoyable nonetheless. If that makes sense," Ellie replied with a smirk, standing face to face with Chuck.

Chuck nodded and widened the sympathetic smile.

"Ok, I should go now, sis. Don't want to keep the woman waiting," he stated, gripping the thick paper a little tighter. Not due to nervousness, but to ensure he got everything he needed.

Ellie straightened her little brother's suit jacket with both hands, and kept them placed on his chest for a bit.

"Be calm, and be yourself. I'm sure everything will turn out great. You're aces, Charles. You've always been aces," the big sister motherly said looking deep into her brother's eyes, and then she finally brought her hands back down.

"You always know the right things to say, sis," Chuck replied touched by his sister's words, and kissed the top of her head before turning around to head for the door.

"Do you want to take Devon's car?" Ellie asked concerned, always looking out for her little brother.

"No, it's fine. Sarah is giving me a ride. She must be getting here anytime, I'll just wait for her outside," Chuck replied while opening up the door.

"See you later, sis," he added, turning around to smile at her, and then closing the door behind him.

When Chuck passed through the front gate Sarah was pulling up in her black Porsche. He smiled at the sight of her, and made his way to the car.

"Punctual as a clock," Chuck stated with the smile still on his face, leaning down to the open passenger's window.

"Well, I try," Sarah replied looking to her right at him, and matching his easy smile.

Chuck got in, and they rapidly arrived at their destination: an impressively high and modern building. Chuck unbuckled his seat belt and looked at his watch.

"We're here… and early. 15 minutes," he stated, turning a bit to Sarah's side.

Sarah followed his lead by also unbuckling her seatbelt, and turning to Chuck's side.

"Early is always better than late," she pointed out flashing him a knowing smile.

"Are you nervous?" the blonde enquired with interest.

Chuck pondered the question a bit before answering it.

"Surprisingly, not really. This is actually something I'm good at, you know. In a long time I feel like I'm stepping into something I have a certain domain over," Chuck replied with a pensive face, but in an assertive, confident tone.

"I'm sure you'll do fine. I'd wish you good luck, but you won't need it," Sarah said midst a sly smile.

Chuck offered her an appreciative, sweet smile in return.

"Ok, then. Thanks a lot for the ride, and I'll see you later. Hopefully with good news," he said, clutching the paper that sat on his lap, and leaning in to kiss her goodbye.

Sarah stopped him midway 'though.

"Let me just…" she said, and proceeded to affectionately fix his tie knot. To which Chuck merely watched her intensely while keeping a grin through the brief execution of the task.

"Thank you… Again," Chuck replied smiling, and leaning in to kiss her gently. This time successfully.

He got out of the car, paper in hand. When he was already at the curb he turned around as Sarah called out to him.

"Knock them dead! And just to be on the safe side: good luck!" she delivered, peeping from the open driver's window.

Chuck's legs worked before his brain as he did a quick jog back to the car, and planted a peck on her lips. He couldn't help it. As fast as he came he went back to his walk towards the building, leaving behind a grinning Sarah.

As Chuck waited for the lift to drop him at the twentieth floor, he felt quite relaxed. Not a bad feeling to have before an important meeting. The ring from the lift brought him back from his thoughts. It was his floor. After a polite nod at the three people riding with him, Chuck stepped out.

He went straight to the man sitting behind the big, oak reception desk.

"Hello, I'm Charles Bartowski and I'm here for an appointment with Mrs. Helen Cain," he politely informed the receptionist.

"Right, please, just take a seat and I'll take you to her shortly," the young man replied also politely, after punching a few keys on the computer.

Chuck barely had the time to take a seat on the elegant, white leathered sofa. The young receptionist – who had just phoned Helen -- apologized profusely for the waiting, even 'though there wasn't actually one, and guided Chuck to Helen's office.

Chuck managed to score this meeting with the successful Helen Cain after getting in contact with Harry Fielding, one of his professors back at Stanford. The only one who actually believed Charles Bartowski could not have cheated on his exams. A kid as bright as Bartowski simply didn't have the need to. Fielding did not have the pull to keep Chuck from getting expelled, but he made it clear that if he ever needed something he didn't have to hesitate to ask. After mustering up the courage Chuck called in the favor and Fielding gladly made sure Chuck's project got to the hands of one of his old Stanford pupils: Helen Cain.

The receptionist opened the door that read 'Helen Cain' in classy, silver metallic letters, and let Chuck in. There was a quick greeting, hand-shake, and all the standard business meeting pleasantries. After Chuck declined the 'any beverage' offer the male receptionist left the two people alone.

"So, Mr. Bartowski, Fielding really advocated a chance for your project. He had the nicest things to say about you," the brunette woman in her early forties said from behind her oak, shiny desk. Behind her was a not-so-shabby view of LA's downtown and its high buildings.

"Well, I could say the same about you, Mrs. Cain. Not that Fielding needed to state the notorious, of course," Chuck replied midst a smile, sitting across from her on a comfortable, white armchair.

Helen smiled back in her upscale, white black pinstripe pantsuit, meticulously matched with a charcoal, feminine dress shirt; which combined – or not, frankly -- surely coasted more than most people's monthly rent.

"Please, call me Helen," the woman asked friendly.

"Only if you call me Chuck," he politely retorted.

"Alright, Chuck, the thing about Fielding is that he always had an eye to spot talent. And this…" she said holding her own copy of Chuck's project.

"This proves the man didn't lose his gift. My colleagues and I here at Pierce Company are very enthusiastic with this program you created. We've read all about it, now we'd be glad if you would show it to us live in action," she added in her best professional excited tone.

Chuck smiled at her positive reaction.

"I'd love to," Chuck succinctly answered.

Helen escorted Chuck to their big, presentation conference room. He retrieved the disc from the back of his binding, and presented it very thoroughly and efficiently to Helen plus her two colleagues. Chuck came across as confident and competent, someone who knew exactly what he was talking about as he pointed out everything with ease in the enormous HD screen they had connected at their PC. He even surprised himself. By the end of the meeting everyone was more than sure that this program had to be acquired by the company. It had many advantages on its current competitors, and every small business would want to switch to Chuck's program, as it would cut substantially the amount of time used on logins, inventory, and other matters such as.

After great feedback from all, Chuck and Helen were back at her office to talk real business. Meaning: numbers, or even better, figures. Helen was surprised when Chuck revealed he was not only selling the program but also the rights for it. Chuck figured the less people knew who Charles Bartowski was, the better it would be for him to stay incognito and protect his identity under his current shaky circumstances. And the less people knew who Charles Bartowski was, and could actually put the name with the face, even better. So, he would relinquish the big spotlight, and also the chance to score even bigger by cashing in for the whole thing at once, instead of cashing in forever per unit. After all Chuck Bartowski were many things, but greedy never was one of them.

"Well, Chuck, product _and_ rights… This is an entirely different talk now," Helen stated with a pensive face and a sparkle in her eyes.

"Considering the magnitude of these numbers, I'll have to run this by Mr. Pierce. Do you care to accompany me to his office right now?" she added decisively. The business woman knew a great opportunity when she saw one.

"Definitely," Chuck quickly replied in enthusiasm.

The pair of them took the lift to the top floor of the 30 storey building. Chuck waited outside as Helen painted the picture to her mogul boss. On the best case scenarios Chuck never imagined having the opportunity for a face-to-face with the powerful man himself. He knew he had something good in his hands, but this was quite surreal.

Pierce's secretary informed Chuck his presence was required, and then she guided him through the door that read 'Guy Pierce' in the same classy metallic letter. The only difference was that his were golden.

The same business introduction ritual took place, and Guy confirmed with Chuck everything Helen had just briefed him. After they engaged in some more meaningless talk.

"So, Mr. Bartowski, let's cut straight to the chase here, shall we? Do you have a number a mind?" the man in his mid fifties asked in all his businessman glory.

If the view from Helen's office was good, the view behind Guy was a sight to behold. The back wall was covered with large windows from top to bottom, and Chuck mused that the view from the top could be lonely but it looked pretty damn exquisite. You could see all of LA, as far as your eye could reach.

Chuck fidget on his luxurious seat. He had never been in this position before, but he had seen enough movies to know exactly how to act this out… He hoped so.

"Well, Mr. Pierce, why don't you make me an offer and we'll go from there," Chuck managed to come up with, midst a sly smile.

"Fair enough," the gray haired man conceded in his black power suit.

"How about this? I think you'll find sufficient," he added midst a smirk, writing a number down on a piece of paper from his desk with an expensive looking golden pen, and smoothly sliding it to Chuck.

Chuck carefully lifted the paper up, trying to look as smooth as Guy. Suddenly, he felt nervous and had to control himself to not shake. His eyes hit the paper, and Chuck yet again had to get a hold of himself when he read the seven figures number. He felt his heart as it began to race, a rush of adrenaline made its course through his body, and he disguised the deep breath he felt complied to take. Chuck had been working on this project for over a year, plus the years he spent on it while in college, but he never expected this much.

"Uh, yes, I think it's a good number, sir," Chuck replied meticulously getting himself gripped, before swallowing hard.

Helen smiled at him in support.

"Great then! I'll have my secretary contact legal to draw the papers immediately. In a couple of days she'll call you to drop by to sign them, and get your check at finance," Guy enthusiastically said, swinging his chair from side to side.

The older man got up and shook Chuck's hand with a friendly smile on his face. Chuck's smile matched the man's.

"It's been a pleasure, sir," Chuck stated, smile still in place.

"Likewise, Mr. Bartowski. Helen will walk you out," Guy simply said, directing his gaze from Chuck to Helen and back.

Chuck walked out of the building still sort of unsure of everything that just happened. It was so good that it didn't feel real… but it was. Here he was, actually making something of his life. And it felt good, it felt right. Chuck Bartowski was finally going places. However, at that moment, he was glad to be going home to spread the great news.

The champagne – courtesy of Chuck – flowed at the Bartowskis household. Sarah, Ellie, Awesome, Morgan and even Casey – who bumped into Ellie on the patio and was coerced by her to drop by – were all there to celebrate Chuck's achievement.

"I always knew you had it in you," Ellie let out midst a huge smile, while hugging her brother's side and balancing her champagne glass.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Chuck replied jokingly, unable to not match his big sister's smile.

"Here's to my soon future brother-in-law! We do expect a big wedding gift," Awesome good-naturedly joked out loud in his toast, raising his glass and chuckling.

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses with him. Casey tried to hide his discontentment in being at the silly commemoration. Chuck made his way towards Sarah; he always wanted to be next to her. And like that the celebration went on with booze and chatting. Casey came up with an excuse to leave early. Morgan had to be thrown out by Ellie.

By the end of the day Chuck and Sarah were hanging out in his room, listening to Ryan Adams and talking.

"So, what's next for you?" Sarah asked as she sat on his bed watching him remove his tie in front of the mirror.

"Well, for starters give Big Mike my notice, that's for sure," Chuck replied midst a laugh.

"Then, I don't know… I've always thought about opening my own small company, you know, program development, with maybe some web design also," he added, placing the tie on top of his dresser.

"It sounds very… you," the blonde stated with a knowing smile, after searching for the right way to put it.

Chuck grinned at Sarah, and sat facing her on top of two piled cardboard boxes filled with his stuff.

"The great thing about this whole situation is that this…" Chuck hesitated for a second whether he should finish his train of thought.

"…love is the real deal 'cause it came way before the cash," he teased with certainty and a playful smile on his face, looking directly into her blue eyes after deciding to relinquish any sort of armor he still might had on.

Sarah's eyes widened. She was completely surprised by his statement.

"Yes, there, I said it. I love you. I knew that for a long time, and you probably knew it too. I might have been trying to avoid the subject, the feeling, whatever, within myself but it's there. And now it's out here as well. Please, don't feel the obligation to say it back, there's no press…" Chuck began to babble incessantly until Sarah shut him up with a deep kiss.

Sarah didn't know what to think. Well, she felt great hearing the words coming from his mouth, and she definitely felt the same way. But she didn't know if she was ready or able to say them out loud.

They tumbled onto his bed, and the kiss evolved into making-out.

"Another great… thing," Chuck started to say in between kisses.

"I don't… have to move… to that cubicle I… rented," he added, rolling Sarah over and landing on top of her.

Chuck pinned her down by the wrists, and broke the kissing off.

"I can search for a decent place," he said quickly with a wicked grin on his face, and resumed the battle of tongues as soon as the sentence was uttered.

Sarah escaped the pin-down position and rolled him over, just to show who was really in charge. Chuck found that a massive turn on, and the kisses kept increasing on intensity. Their hands ran up and down, and all over the other's body. Sarah took his suit jacket off and threw it on the ground. They pulled their mouths apart an instant for air, and then Chuck moved his head forward to restart but she moved hers back to tease him. He smiled, and rolled her over to be on top again. Their lips crashed yet again.

"I should get… a dog, too," Chuck said in between quick kisses again.

"Peaches… 3?" Sarah replied midst a wide smile.

"That's an idea," he stated, matching her smile.

The making out continued, and more pieces of clothing started to hit the floor. Chuck delicately ran his hand through her face to remove a chunk of blonde hair that had fallen over it. At that moment her deep blue eyes met with his warm brown ones, and the connection was indescribable. Sarah felt like if she didn't say it, it would choke her to death. She needed to spill it.

"You too. I love you, too," it simply overflew from her mouth, and she felt relief.

They kept their eyes locked for a while longer. Their bodies hit with motionless, and genuine smiles splashed on their faces. Chuck was completely taken aback by her words. He knew the fact, but it meant a lot for him to hear it from her mouth. Chuck slowly went back to kissing Sarah. From where he was coming from he didn't think he'd reach this state so soon… He had the girl, the future, the family, and the friends. He had it all. It wasn't perfect but it was his.

**FIM.**

**A/N:** I don't know about you all, but I've always hated when writers (books, movies, tv shows, plays, fics, doesn't matter) finish off their pieces right after the star couple get together. I often go like "Hey, now that I wanted to see (read) the good stuff you come up with 'the end'!" That being said, I'm sure not doing this with my fic. You can expect an also über long epilogue with great C/S stuff, I don't want to give away too much; so, make sure to come back for the final (for real this time) installment of Chuck Vs. Life. Oh, and I hope you enjoyed this massive chapter!


	17. Epilogue Part I

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: mary_br

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 17/17

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! Thanks for the last chapter's reviews. You're all very lovely. Ok, let's cut to the chase, shall we? This fic simply doesn't want to end! It's the freaking never-ending story! *lol* The epilogue was getting so big that I had to split it in two, otherwise you guys would have to wait even more for an update.

I hope you enjoy this massive part I, and next time we meet will be the last for real :)

**Epilogue (Part I)****:**

**FLASHES OF LIFE***

(*****pun intended)

**1 Year Later**** (give or take)**

Chuck lay in bed under this fluffy, cozy, white comforter. He watched Sarah, who stood by the bed putting her hair up in a ponytail. The big flat-screen plasma tv was on the news channel, 'though neither one of the two were tuned to it.

"Are you seriously going to your place? Now?" Chuck asked in surprise, emphasizing the last sentence.

"Yes, I need some clothes. Plus, I forgot I have to feed Goldie. It's been days," Sarah replied, getting out of her pjs pants and heading towards the wardrobe.

"You have plenty of clothes here, and please, that fish went through longer periods of time without being fed and it survived just fine. It's got more lives than a cat. Oh, and by the way, 'Goldie' for a goldfish?" he rhetorically teased in a joke tone, flashing his girlfriend a smirk from the bed.

Sarah, who grabbed a pair of jeans from the wardrobe, turned around to face him.

"Right… says the guy who named his brown dog 'Yeller'," the blonde retorted with a playful smile on her lips while putting on the jeans. She shifted her look from Chuck to the flat-coated retriever lying on the hardwood floor by the bottom foot of the bed.

When Yeller heard the mention of his name, he immediately got up and went to Sarah. The almost one year old dog enthusiastically began to wag his tail seeking the woman's attention. She briefly looked down at him and wondered if pets really start to resemble their owners after a while. 'Cause there it was in front of her: Yeller with his abundant, soft, and dark brown fur. Looking at her with those big, warm, smart, and light brown eyes. The similarities to Chuck were uncanny. So, Sarah just couldn't resist the little fellow – who was not so little anymore. She patted him with an endearing smile on her face.

"Hey! It happens to be a classic name. And a quirky one at that too given his color and all, which works for me," Chuck protested in a faux hurt tone, but unable to contain the little smile that graced his lips.

"But that's not the point; the point is that it's past 10, pitch black, and freezing outside. Look at that wardrobe, there are many clothes for you to wear. Come on, inside good, outside bad. Get back to bed," the man added with a pleading expression on his face.

"Yes, I have a few clothes, but they all have been worn many times in the last few days. Tomorrow is Monday and I have to look at least a little presentable for work," the woman replied, taking a seat on a sophisticated armchair to put her tennis shoes on. Yeller followed, obviously.

"I believe the clothing store will agree with me that you always look presentable, no matter what you're wearing," Chuck delivered honestly, turning on his side and supporting his head with his hand to watch her better.

Sarah, who had just finished tying her shoes, looked up at Chuck and smiled at him.

"Thank you," Sarah said, moving towards the dark oak, modern-lined nightstand to grab her watch, which lay beside a silver picture frame that displayed a candid photo of her and Chuck sitting on the sand at the beach, cheering with their ice cream cones. Sarah had a big smile on her face and Chuck had a what-the-hell on his, as a cute puppy Yeller licked his cone.

"But I…" she started to add, but was cut by Chuck.

"Move in with me," he stated softly and yet determinedly, sitting up straight and leaning on the black, soft and big headboard.

"What?" she asked in surprise, having to take a seat on the bed with her watch in hand.

"Move in with me," Chuck repeated verbatim with a smile on his face, glaring straight into her eyes.

"Where did this come from?" Sarah asked after a beat, half-closing her eyes and flashing him also a half-smile.

"Not from just right now, I mean, things won't change so much. You already spend most of your time here, the _few_ clothes you have here already take almost half of my closet and I love that, by the way," the guy started to say picking up momentum, and making sure to smile a little wider at the end as he sensed to be treading in deep water.

"Your toothbrush hangs beside mine in the bathroom, I always make sure to have 1% milk in the fridge because you like it, this pillow here constantly smells like you, and when you're not lying beside me I always find myself reaching out for you at night. Besides, Yeller there misses you terribly when you're not here…" Chuck blurted out softly and steadily, placing his right hand over her pillow.

Yeller heard his name once again and energetically lifted himself up from the floor to go meet Chuck at the other side of the bed. He was pretty schooled by now to not jump on the bed.

"And it's not only him," he added in a charming tone after a small moment of silence, while patting the dog's head with his left hand.

Sarah smiled a bit wider at him.

"I love when you arrive, I literally feel happier the days you spend here with me, and I hate every single time I see you leave. Too straight forward?" Chuck finished his monologue flashing the blonde his megawatt smile and feeling quite uplifted.

"Wow, you really did think this through, huh?" the blonde replied midst a tight lip smile, looking down briefly in a small surge of shyness.

"Yes, I did. And I want you to do the same, there's no rush. The last thing I want is for you to feel pressured," Chuck honestly delivered with a genuine smile.

"I'm not… just so you know," Sarah replied. A playful smile punctuated her sentence.

One thing was sure, the couple learned a great deal about open dialogue in the last year. Not that there weren't many stumbles and falls along the road, of course.

"Good, good," the man stated in a soft tone, displaying a peculiar smile since it was his turn to be attacked by a small surge of shyness. While he watched Sarah finally manage to put on her watch.

"Still, it's a pretty big thing, so I'll have to sleep on this. Lunch together tomorrow at noon?" the blonde asked while standing up.

"Sure, I'll swing by the store," he answered simply.

Sarah kneeled on the bed, and supported by both hands on the mattress, leaned in to kiss Chuck goodbye. Then she stood up again to leave.

"Thanks for the offer," she stated midst a radiant smile, one that was reserved for special moments only, Chuck noted. His Sarah's smiles catalogue was pretty extensive now, he was an expert at that point.

Chuck didn't say anything, he just matched her smile. When she turned around and reached the door his voice calling out her name made Sarah turn back around. Her eyes met Chuck kneeled on the bed, holding up his blue t-shirt just enough to expose his gunshot wound scar.

"I just thought you should take a quick look at my scar, you know, in the past you always seemed more emotional and empathetic towards me at the sight of this baby here. I figured it would only help the move-in-with-me case," Chuck delivered in a mixture of puppy eyes and playful smirk.

"Goodnight, Chuck," Sarah managed to reply, shaking her head but unable to muffle a smile.

Sarah went down the spiral staircase that connected the first and second floor of Chuck's condo with the silly smile still on her face. She crossed his whole studio-like condo, grabbed her coat in the foyer's closet, and made it by lift to her Porsche in the parking lot level with the foolish thing still plastered on her face. Chuck made her happy. She was happier than ever before in her life. What was there to think about? It was a no brainer. A couple of weeks later she would be all moved in.

* * *

**Approximately 2 months later**

"…And this is your mission today: acquire said flash drive," General Beckman said through the high definition flat screen. Part of the spy paraphernalia that, back in the day, used to be in the Orange Orange basement and now was located in the basement of Dash – Chuck's small computer company, which functioned in a 3 storey Georgian town house. 4 if you count the basement.

It worked out well since Sarah and Casey got jobs at the big department store across the street. Sarah as a saleswoman in the clothing department, and Casey as – gasp – one of those employees who walk around the cosmetics department offering a free spray of some random fragrance. Usually wearing an outfit matching the name of the fragrance, much to his dismay. Months ago, when the fragrance was one by a famous rapper, he was obligated to wear super baggy jeans, white wife-beater, backwards baseball cap, and lots of chains around his neck… Chuck and Sarah made that month a miserable one for poor ol' Casey, especially Chuck. Sarah was glad that for once she wasn't the one stuck in a silly outfit. All in the name of his country, the NSA agent often reminded himself.

"It goes without saying that, due to Morton's background as a special ops operative, he's to be considered armed and extremely dangerous," she added sternly, before severing the live connection feed.

"I guess it is play-time," Casey announced jollier than usual wearing a tux – James Bond related fragrance -- while getting up from the table.

Sarah and Chuck, looking casually attired next to Casey, did the same.

A couple of hours later Casey dropped the couple back at Dash. Chuck's car, a silver BMW X6, was there. At the time Chuck closed the deal with Pierce and was out to find himself a car, he wanted a yellow VW bus like the one in Little Miss Sunshine, Morgan wanted him to get a powder baby-blue Lamborghini like Rod Stewart's; after much debate he wound up with the X6, a middle ground both were happy with.

The NSA agent had one more drop to make: Morton, who was all tied in the back of the van. Traitors of the country were especially irksome to Casey. Despite the apparent success of the mission, you could sense the tension in the air of the van from miles away. Something had happened.

The ride back home went by in complete, utter silence. Every once in a while Chuck caught Sarah stealing glances at him. Even 'though the blonde noticed all the times she was caught by her boyfriend, she didn't say a word. Neither did him.

Chuck parked his car next to her Porsche. Since they started living together they went to work in one car only, at times she took the Porsche and gave him a ride, and at times – like this one – he took the X6 and gave her a ride. It was very unusual for them to go separately, since they had similar hours.

The whole way up in the lift was quiet as well. Chuck got tempted to say something, but every time he tried to catch her gaze in attempt to find some receptivity he found none. So, he dismissed said temptation. He had tried already in the van to talk things over, and she clearly was in no mood for it. He wasn't about to be the grander person by keep hitting a dead horse. If she wanted to say something, she would have to come right up and say it.

Chuck and Sarah got out in their floor, and walked to their door. She started to open her purse to get the keys, but he shoved his hand in his pocket and retrieved his first. Then, with a tight-lipped smug in his face, he dangled the item in the air to show her. He considered saying "I got it", but resolved to the dangling move instead. He would be damned if he was the one to speak up first. She mustered up a matching smug, and in the condo they were.

Sarah went straight ahead the wall-less condo, leaving the foyer behind, and passing the living room, the dining room, and finally reaching the kitchen. Where she dropped her purse on top of the island's black granite top. Chuck watched the woman from the foyer as he played a bit with Yeller that rushed instantly to greet him. Then, after throwing his keys into a rustic key bowl, which stood on top of a neat looking sideboard at the foyer, Chuck also made his way to the kitchen.

Sarah, who was drinking a glass of orange juice sitting at the glass dining room table, which was located right in front on the kitchen's island, watched attentively Chuck pouring himself a glass on the other side of the island.

He noticed her eyes boring holes in him, so he looked up to meet them directly.

"What?" Chuck asked straight-forwardly, unable to hold his peace any longer.

"Nothing," Sarah stubbornly replied averting her eyes from him, and all of the sudden seeming very interested in the yellow content in her glass.

"No, come on, say it," the man demanded, while putting down a half-empty glass of juice.

"Ok, you shouldn't have gone after me in the mission. It was stupid, it was foolish, unprofessional and, most importantly, it was dangerous! What were you thinking?!" the blonde woman spat in high speed, also putting her almost empty glass down.

Their eyes were locked in a deadly serious stare. Chuck felt the need to come from behind the kitchen island to _defend_ himself.

"I don't know, perhaps I was thinking that you had already snagged the flash drive, so why were you going into that elevator with Morton? Unarmed, by the way. Something must have been wrong. Then I got the confirmation when your ear comm. went down," Chuck spat in the same manner as her previous statement, talking profusely with his hands.

"What was I supposed…" he tried to add the question, but was interrupted by Sarah. At that point he was already standing across the table from where she was sitting at.

"You were supposed to stick to the plan, and follow what Casey…" she stood up quickly while attempting to reply, but then was her turn to get cut.

"The plan? To heck with the plan! And that was a rhetorical question, just so you know. I was supposed to do exactly what I did. You needed help. I was in the position to do so. Why not do it? This one was rhetorical too, by the way," Chuck said, unable to contain the sarcasm.

"Do you have any idea what guys like Morton are capable of? No, this is not a rhetorical question. He could have killed you. And me. That if we were lucky," Sarah shot back with a dose of sarcasm of her own.

"You make it sound like I went one-on-one against him, when I just beat you two to his suite and slipped you a gun. Ok, maybe it was stupid, maybe it was foolish and unprofessional. It certainly was dangerous, but if it happens again tomorrow, and the day after, I'll do the exact same thing," the brown-eyed guy stated louder, while Yeller watched the argument attentively.

Sarah's face expression reacted a bit to his words.

"You guys keep lecturing me about professionalism, but I guess a little bit of heart can do no harm, you know? After all I'm still here, and so are you. So is Casey, who is probably listening to this right now. I bet he appreciates the fact that you broke protocol and went after him 6 months ago in that NY mission. Spy or not, we have feelings, we are bound to bond; and not recognizing this can be for the worst. I won't do it. We three are alive and kicking; I like the odds of my current bet. Now, if you excuse me, I'll go take a long hot shower," Chuck added much lower and softer, before he made his way upstairs to his bedroom's bathroom.

Sarah watched him go, and what he had said really got her thinking. Could she really blame him? If the situation was reversed she would have done the same. The difference is that she's actually trained for that, it's her job, what she is meant to do. The truth was that she was scared. Scared by the fact that Chuck could have gotten hurt. Hurt while trying to help her out. She could never live with herself if something like that happened. But the reality of things was that this was their reality. They had to face life and death situations on a daily basis, and if this thing she had with Chuck was meant to last, she would have to deal with those issues. For better or for worse. The real question was: could she?

Casey lived in an apartment building across from Chuck's. When the nerd moved out of his sister's, Casey had to follow to protect the Intersect -- Sarah hadn't moved in yet. However, the NSA's budget for the Major didn't quite make it for a luxurious condo, hence the building across the street. Anyway, Casey sure was listening to the couple's argument and Chuck's _speech_ also sent him into some thinking. The nerd was right; Walker did save his ass back in NY. Not that he would ever admit that. But he owned CIA one, for sure. He already had struggled in the past with direct orders from upstairs regarding his _team mates_. Casey squashed that train of thought. He wasn't one to delve, matters like these were better to just leave them be.

Chuck was taking his hot shower. The bathroom filled with steam, an unbelievably great scent, and his head filled with thoughts about his and Sarah's previous _debate_. He closed his eyes, looked up and let the massive amount of hot water fall onto his face, and soak his abundant hair. Suddenly he heard the shower box's door slide open, and was pleasantly surprised by none other than Sarah.

"You might have a point," the blonde woman said softly in his ear, while wrapping her arms around his torso from behind him.

Chuck wiped the water from his face with his right hand, then tenderly placed both hands on top of hers, and ultimately turned around to face her.

"Do…" Chuck started to say with a smile on his face, but was interrupted by a kiss from Sarah. She started it slowly but then she deepened it, and Chuck was more than willing to help pick up the pace.

After an intense make-out session they separated in desperate need for air.

"Wow! I should have a point more often," he told her midst his trademark megawatt smile, to which she smiled back at him.

They began kissing again, which led to another thing, which led to another thing…

* * *

**One month later**

Sarah walked out of the lift. She looked really good and hip in a well-fitted brown leather jacket with a pristine white shirt underneath, paired with dark skinny jeans tucked into a pair of long, high-heeled, brown suede boots. As she glided towards Chuck's office at Dash, her wavy blonde locks bounced quite alluringly. Her look was nicely finished with a marvelous big gold handbag, a tasteful exotic necklace, and natural make-up that somehow made her eyes seem bluer than ever.

"Hey, Lauren! Is he in his office?" Sarah asked the 30-something woman behind the desk with a polite smile on her face.

"Hi, Sarah! No, I'm afraid he's still in the conference room with the staff," Chuck's brunette secretary replied with a matching polite smile gracing her features.

"But he must be wrapping up the meeting by now," she added looking at the time on the bottom right of her computer screen.

"Do you want to wait in his office?" Lauren thoughtfully asked looking up at Sarah again.

"No, it's fine. I'll just wait outside the conference room. Thanks, Lauren," the blonde woman replied, midst a wide smile, before making her way there.

Sarah crossed the spacious, wall-less, lengthy floor; filled with work stations, desks and computers. At those hours there was no one circulating anymore. The high-ceiled room was empty. After some walking Sarah finally reached the outside of the all glass-walled conference room.

She didn't want to disturb Chuck. Chuck who looked mighty fine in a khaki linen suit paired with a light lavender dress shirt. Jacket off. She just stood there watching as he talked about something – she couldn't hear anything – gesticulating a lot, pointing at the big screen, hearing what someone sitting at the big table was saying… He looked excited and happy. She couldn't even describe how happy it made her seeing him this enthusiastic about his job.

After a little while Chuck saw her from the inside; so, she discretely waved at him with a bright smile on her face. He waved back in the same manner, and the eyes of the people inside the room quickly made their way towards her.

"As I was saying, I think we finally reached a decision here, people. This will be really good, I can already see it. Tomorrow bring in the layout for me to see first thing, ok Gary?" Chuck said enthusiastically, unable to wipe the smile Sarah brought to his lips.

"Will do," the guy in his late twenties succinctly replied.

"Alright, thanks so much for staying in late today, guys! This will not be forgotten when the time comes for me to write your Xmas bonus checks," Chuck stated midst a laugh, while grabbing some papers from the table.

Everyone laughed as well.

"Ok, see you all tomorrow morning," Chuck added as he left the conference room.

"If _that_ isn't inspiration enough to succeed in life… I don't know what is," Will noted to Gary while looking at Sarah greeting Chuck with a peck on the lips outside the room, to which Gary shook his head from side to side.

"They started dating _before_ he even founded Dash… pig!" Rachael forcefully admonished her co-worker before getting up from the table.

"Sorry, it took longer than I thought," Chuck apologetically said before giving Sarah a quick peck on the lips.

"Are we late?" he added looking at his watch, as they started walking back towards his office arm in arm.

"No, it's ok. We have time. Are you ready to go?" Sarah asked looking to her side at him, as they walked.

"Yeah, just have to quickly drop this off and grab my jacket in the office. Did you remember to bring their present?" Chuck said, also looking to his side at her.

"Yes, it's in the car. Do you have the tickets?" the blonde asked, as they reached his office.

"Yep. Lauren, what are you still doing here? I said you could go home," Chuck said softly, shifting his focus from Sarah to his secretary.

"I know, I know… I had some things to finish up, but I'm heading out now. Mr. Shapiro from HR called and asked you to call him tomorrow, Morgan also called looking for you; it's all written down on the notes I left on your desk. Oh, and the Cat Power tickets are in your top drawer," Lauren informed her boss after standing up with her purse and coat in hand.

"I also confirmed your dinner reservation. I guess that's it… You two have a lovely evening, and make sure to wish your sister and brother-in-law a happy belated anniversary on my behalf, Chuck. Bye," she politely added, and head out after Chuck and Sarah said their goodbyes to her.

Sarah, Chuck, Ellie and Awesome attended an amazing and intimate Cat Power concert that Thursday night. Since she started dating Chuck for real, Sarah wasn't as music clueless as before. Well, among Chuck's favorite artists she had her own favorites, and Chan was definitely one of them. So was to the married couple, hence their attendance to her gig. In fact, little else pleased Chuck more than to share with Sarah things he considered essential in life: music and movies. He secretly enjoyed watching her watch his favorite flicks, every reaction of hers to a pivotal scene made him happier than kid watching candy at the candy store. Every song he presented her and could see in her eyes the process of falling in love with it made him love her even more. Chuck truly treasured those moments, and even 'though he thought she was oblivious to this little routine of theirs, Sarah knew. And she loved it just as much.

After the concert they went out to dinner at an Indian restaurant. The place was great, the food was great, the ambiance was great, the company was great… Everything about that outing was excellent. They talked, they laughed, ate and drank a lot. Then it was time to leave.

"… then the innocent kid intern asked: 'But how could he swallow that whole cucumber?'" Awesome finished telling his hospital anecdote laughing out loud, as the foursome exited the restaurant.

His wife, Sarah and Chuck laughed out loud as well. The girls walked side by side ahead, and the boys followed behind them. They reached outside the restaurant, Awesome and Sarah handed the valets their tickets and off they went to bring their cars.

"This was great, guys. Thanks for everything, really," Awesome stated midst a wide smile, shaking Chuck's hand and giving Sarah a quick hug.

"I absolutely loved the concert! I never thought I'd ever get so close to Chan Marshall. And as if the tickets weren't enough you two get us this beautiful painting," Ellie said happily, mimicking her husband's smile while pointing to said big painting he carried.

"I'm glad you liked it! We saw that at a gallery last week, and I told Chuck we had to get it. It's just so you," Sarah replied smiling brightly at her boyfriend's sister.

"You're right. It is me, and I'm in love with it! Thank you, thanks so much, you two!" the brunette said, hugging Sarah and then Chuck.

"Well, it's not every day that you commemorate your paper anniversary, is it?" Chuck rhetorically asked midst his trademark smile.

The valets handed Awesome and Sarah their keys. The cars were parked just in front of the restaurant. Chuck and Awesome tipped the guys.

"Will you drive? I'm not in the mood for it," Sarah softly asked her boyfriend, while holding up the key in his direction.

"Sure," Chuck replied with a smile on his face, taking the key from her hand.

Both couples started walking towards their cars.

"I'll call you this week to set up our lunch, ok?" Ellie called out to Sarah.

"Alright. Bye," the blonde replied and waved at the married couple.

Chuck and Awesome called out their goodbyes as well, and in no time both couples were headed home.

The moment Chuck opened the door Yeller was once again at stand-by to greet the couple. Few things in life were more certain than this. Both took turns at patting the cute dog, and then went upstairs to their suite -- followed close by the pooch, of course.

Sarah dropped her handbag on the armchair and let her body fall onto bed. Chuck slid her bag sideways, sat on the armchair and started patting Yeller.

"I'm beat," Sarah stated shortly while closing her eyes for a while.

"I need to take Yeller out a bit for his walk," Chuck said, still playing with the dog.

He kept staring at Sarah as if she had to say something. She didn't fail to notice that.

"So…" the blonde played along staring right back at him, unable to prevent the corners of her lips from turning up.

"Come along with me, please," he said softly, while flashing his girlfriend his best charming smile.

A lying down Sarah laughed while shaking her head.

"You always say that," she pointed out with a smile still in place.

"And you always say that I say that… but you always come. It's our little special routine," it was Chuck's turn to point out. Then he stood up.

"Come on, let's go. It's so much more enjoyable when you come," he added while offering her his hand to pull her up, and still wearing the charming smile on his face to secure her company.

"But it's kinda cold… and late, and dark," Sarah complained midst a dramatic face, while staring at his outstretched hand.

"I'm sure you are more than capable to protect me," Chuck joked and waggled his hand in front of her to entice her to grab it.

She mustered up a small smile at his joke and finally held his hand, then Chuck pulled her up. At the end of this pull Chuck guided his lips to crash against Sarah's. It was a great kiss.

"Thanks," he said softly in her ear, to which she replied only with a smile, while wiping off some lipstick from his lips with her right thumb.

The couple went downstairs with Yeller, who got extremely excited when he saw Chuck grabbing his blue retractable leash from the foyer's coat closet. A minute later the leash was on, Chuck wrapped his arm around Sarah, and the trio was off to a walk.

Next morning the alarm went off at 6 AM, and Chuck quickly turned it off. He rolled over to see if it had awakened Sarah, but she just fussed a bit and remained asleep. Chuck had a quick breakfast, took a shower and went about with his regular morning routine. When he was tying his tie in front of the bedroom's mirror Sarah awoke, and he saw it through the mirror.

"Hey, good morning," Chuck said softly and without turning around, still working on the knot.

"Good morning," she replied, with eyes closed, in a huskier tone than her usual freshly-awaken one.

Chuck managed to finish the knot and turned around, finally getting a good glimpse at her.

"Are you ok?" he asked in concern over her unusual tone and a slightly red nose.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Why you ask?" the blonde woman asked in denial with a hint of attitude in her tone, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Nothing, nothing… You just look, uh…" Chuck partially delivered his thoughts, stopping mid-sentence to study how to finish it properly, since Sarah wore a peculiarly pointed and expecting look on her face.

"… a tiny little bit less gorgeous than your usual self," he proudly finished with a charming smile on his face, while closing the gap between the two of them and stopping next to the couple's bed.

The little shenanigan granted him a small smile from his girlfriend.

"Really, I'm fine," Sarah reiterated in a softer tone, choosing to stick to her denial.

"Are you leaving earlier?" she added looking up at him and changing the subject, while adjusting her head in the pillow for a more comfortable position.

"Yes, it's been busy lately, but you can stay in bed for another 20 minutes," Chuck stated while stealing a glance at the alarm-clock.

"What about your car? I picked you up yesterday, so you left it at Dash," Sarah reminded him.

"Yeah, I called in a cab earlier. It must be arriving," the man replied succinctly.

"I've got a lunch meeting, so I won't be able to meet you. But I'll call you later, ok? Oh, and I made coffee if you want some. Now I've gotta run," he added quickly, and then leaned over to kiss her.

She grabbed his tie and pulled him closer. After a couple of quick kisses, and picking up his suit's jacket, Chuck was off to work.

The morning went by faster than a speeding bullet. Chuck's client called asking to postpone their meeting, so he was free for lunch. After telling Lauren he would be out for lunch, Chuck took the lift to go make Sarah a small surprise. He crossed Dash's first floor lobby -- making sure to greet everyone along the way – and walked out of the Georgian brick building through the big glass entry door, which read "Dash Co." in white letters at the center, and a big "DC" monogram on the top. With a quick walk across the street he reached the big department store Sarah and Casey worked at.

Chuck crossed the first floor – the cosmetics and such department – and ran into Casey near the rolling stairs. The man wore sandals, knee-length white shorts, a loud short-sleeved shirt, and a lei around his neck.

"Hmm… let me guess… 'Hawaiian Dreams'?" Chuck teased the NSA agent, unable to contain a wide smile. Not that he tried, anyway.

"I swear I'll…" Casey began to say menacingly, but stopped on his tracks when he saw his supervisor passing by next to them.

"'Sea Breeze', sir?" he said changing tunes and tone while holding up a fragrance bottle, but still through a smile that looked more like gritted teeth than anything else.

Chuck eyed the man passing them by.

"I don't…" Chuck started to say in a low tone of voice when Casey sprayed the fragrance at him.

"Hey!" he added a little louder, but still undetectable to the preying man.

"Keep your voice down and a smile on Bartowski, this man is targeting me already as it is," Casey said in the same demeanor.

Chuck obliged.

"Well, this thing stinks," he stated back in a low tone, while sniffing his collar.

"Welcome to my life," the NSA agent ironically retorted.

"Why are you here? Had a flash?" he added with a glint of enthusiasm in his voice.

"Nope, just looking for Sarah. Seen her around?" Chuck asked looking around himself.

"Yeah, sure. Keeping tabs on Walker is my favorite hobby," Casey shot back sarcastically, while raising an eyebrow.

"A simple 'no' was sufficient," Chuck delivered with an annoying look on his face, and then walked away from the agent.

Chuck had taken a few steps towards the rolling stairs when he saw that Casey's supervisor was still staring at the Major attentively.

"Excellent fragrance! You sold me, I'll sure come back for one," Chuck turned around and enthusiastically called out to Casey midst a wide smile.

The supervisor seemed pleased and walked away, so did Chuck.

"You own me one, Casey," he murmured under his breath to himself.

Chuck reached the rolling stairs. On his way up he took his phone out of his suit's jacket, and called out Casey. When the agent turned around he snapped a picture.

"Thanks! The collection's coming out great. Don't worry, I'll make you copies," Chuck said while ascending to the second floor, with a smirk gracing his features. Casey was left to fume by himself. The man never thought he would miss his job at the Buy More, but he sure did.

Chuck moved 360 degrees around himself trying to locate Sarah on the second floor. After a few steps and turns he managed to spot her near a clothing rack. He quickly made his way there with a happy smile on his face. When Sarah noticed Chuck coming towards her a smile made its way to her lips, and when Chuck got a good look at Sarah his made its way out of his lips.

"You're not looking good," Chuck stated with a serious look on his face.

"Well, hello to you too," she shot back with a hint of sarcasm through a nasal voice, but with a smile still in place. Her nose was completely red.

"Didn't you have a lunch meeting?" the blonde added with interest, but trying to evade the topic. The nasal voice was even heavier.

"Yeah, it got postponed. But don't change the subject; it really looks like you're sick," the tall man delivered in the same tone as before, while getting closer to his girlfriend to better assess her state.

"I'm not sick, ok? I never get sick," Sarah replied with a dismissive tone, although the dark circles around her eyes clearly gave away her tiredness.

Chuck placed his hand on her forehead, and after a few seconds she took it away.

"At least you don't seem to have a fever," Chuck assessed in a serious tone, actually talking more to himself than to Sarah.

"That's because I'm not…" Sarah started to say but was interrupted by a sneeze that she had been trying hard to contain throughout their whole conversation.

"…sick," she still had to finish, resolute to not acknowledge defeat.

Chuck just shot her a pointed look. And suddenly a woman came towards the couple.

"Thanks, Sarah! I found that large turtleneck in the stock," the woman in her mid twenties said in a friendly tone, midst a smile.

"No problem," the CIA agent replied mimicking the woman's demeanor.

The woman was about to leave when Chuck called out to her.

"Hey… Amanda," he said midst his trademark megawatt smile.

Sarah did not look amused.

"You see, Sarah is not feeling really well. It appears that she's coming down with a cold, so I'm afraid I'll have to take her home. Could you, please, get your supervisor so Sarah could talk to her?" Chuck added politely.

Sarah turned from not-amused to annoyed, and was about to jump in the conversation.

"Actually she's out for lunch at the moment," Amanda replied just as politely, while looking at Sarah to assess her co-worker's state.

"Well, could you tell her when she gets back that Sarah wasn't feeling well and had to go home?" the man asked in the same manner.

"Of course. You really do look kinda sick Sarah, I hope you get better soon," the green-eyed blonde said sympathetically, to which Sarah felt like rolling her eyes but didn't.

Chuck shot her another pointed look conveying his see-I'm-right position.

"Great, I'll just bring the car around to the entryway. You shouldn't strain yourself. Just sit down here and wait for me," the man softly said while protectively escorting his girlfriend to a nearby ottoman with Amanda by their side.

Sarah was about to vehemently protest, but before she could even utter a word Chuck rushed out of their sights. She and Amanda were left to watch the man speed through the floor towards the rolling stairs.

"Wow! Your boyfriend?" the younger woman asked looking down at a sitting Sarah, to which Sarah only nodded 'yes'.

"How cute! You can totally see it in his eyes how much he cares about you. Gosh, do you know how difficult it is to find one of those these days?! You should see the types that come my way… You're lucky," Amanda added in a pensive tone.

Sarah looked up at her co-worker and suddenly she didn't feel as crossed and annoyed as before.

"Yeah, I know," the blue-eyed blonde replied softly after a beat, in a matching pensive tone. And then, a rather sweet smile took over her face.

Moments later Sarah and Chuck arrived home.

"Where's Yeller?" Chuck asked while looking around, noticing the dog's absence.

"Oh, right… Friday. Dog day care. Forgot you would take him today," he added quickly before Sarah could even reply.

"So, do you want to lie down, or something?" the man asked softly, placing a hand on her back.

"I think I'll take a bath," Sarah replied while entering further into the condo, ready to head upstairs to their bathroom.

"Great idea! You just sit down here…" Chuck said, while deviating her path to the direction of the living room couch with the help of his hand on the small of her back. And then he gently made her take a seat.

"…Or lie down, your call, while I'll go up there to draw you a bath," he added looking down at her.

"No, Chuck. This is ridiculous," Sarah stated midst a dry laugh.

"I might have a cold. 'Might' being the operative word here. But I'm not an invalid, you don't have to go out of your way to do all of this for me," she added in protest with a nasal, husky voice.

Then she tried to stand up, but Chuck swiftly held her down.

"I know I don't _have_ to do anything for you, but I _want_ to. I'm not going out of my way. You're my girlfriend. I love you. Doing stuff to make you feel better makes _me_ feel better as well. Now, will you just let me help you, for Christ's sakes?!" the man said a little louder, while looking directly into her eyes.

"Fine," Sarah let out and put on an endearing pout, but also offered her boyfriend a cute smile.

"Great. Now, if you excuse me, I'll be right back," Chuck said in a lower tone, midst a tight-lipped, playful smug. And then he started walking towards their room upstairs.

"You're a lot of work, woman," he joked loud enough for her to hear, with his back still turned to her, on his way upstairs.

He did not see it, but she laughed. All of this made Sarah reminisce about the last time she got sick. She pushed the discomfort through a mission, and after there was no one there for her in that lonely, random hotel room. She had to hold her own hair while vomiting her guts out, she had no one to insist she'd take a day off to take care of herself, no one preoccupied to make things easier like drawing her a bath…

The truth was Sarah Walker never, ever, had someone she could truly count on. Her mother passed away when she was a small child, and her dad… well, he did the best he could, between a con and another, that is. She knew he loved her. He stuck around and that spoke volumes, but he was never the motherly type of dad. So, she learned to fend for herself, and count on the only person who would always be there no matter what: herself. Breaking this type of cycle was hard. Allowing yourself to depend on another was never part Sarah's mo. Too risky, too dangerous, her mind told herself. What if this person leaves like all the others she allowed herself to care for before?

However, her heart had let Chuck in a long time ago. Her mind like it or not, doubt it or not. There was no way to undo it. Even though there were times like this when heart and mind crashed and produced reactions such as this from Sarah, something stronger always told her that this man could be trusted. So, she kept folding time after time and letting Chuck in further than she ever let any man before. And it felt good, really good.

A handful of minutes later Chuck came downstairs. He made his way to the back of the comfy, modern, white couch, and leaned over it to see Sarah, who had lied down.

"All ready, ma'am. I used a Chuck special: lavender bath salt accentuated with vanilla bubble bath. I think you'll find it of your liking," he said softly, flashing Sarah a charming smile.

"Thank you," Sarah replied matching his smile.

"Now let me just muster up enough will power to stand up," she added in a joking tone.

Before she could get up Chuck leaned over even more and stole a kiss from her.

"Don't!" Sarah hissed forcefully, while abruptly breaking off the kiss.

"You'll get sick, too," the red-nosed blonde woman added very nasally as she stood up.

"Not likely, but if so, it was so worthy," Chuck stated midst a smirk as he watched Sarah heading upstairs.

While Sarah was soaking in her greatly scented, warm bath, Chuck quickly went out in his car and came back in a flash with a small, white paper bag and a bigger brown one, which he placed over the kitchen's island.

Chuck put the kettle on and made some tea, with which he filled a glass mug with. Then he grabbed the mug and the white paper bag and went upstairs to their bedroom's bathroom.

"I take it you're enjoying," Chuck stated softly while heading towards the bathtub with an item in each hand.

Sarah, who had her eyes closed, opened them up slowly. She had a lot of bubbles around her.

"Here. Lemongrass. Your favorite, if memory serves me right," he added while handing her the steamy mug, and then he took a seat on the tub's wide edge with the bag in hand.

"First the bath. You even lit the apple-cinnamon candle," Sarah said, looking at the aforementioned item by her side.

"And now the tea. I'm afraid you're spoiling me, Charles Bartowski," she added midst a sweet smile with the warm mug in hand.

"I don't think so. Am I? Really?" Chuck rhetorically asked in a joking manner, with a purposely overdramatic confused look on his face.

Sarah laughed at his act, which trigged some coughs.

"I also went out to the drugstore and got you some medicine to help to get rid with that," the man said opening the white bag that sat on his lap.

Sarah was about to say something.

"Pa, pa, pa…" Chuck hissed, pointing his index finger at the blonde and facing away from her.

"I don't even want to hear it," he added in a softer tone, but his cell ringing interrupted their chat.

Chuck took the cell out of his suit's jacket pocket and saw that it was Lauren calling. Sarah kept taking sips of her tea.

"One sec, I have to take this," he said to the woman in the tub.

"Hey, Lauren," Chuck greeted the woman in the line.

"Yes… No, no, it's all ok… Uh-hum… Yeah, you go ahead and do that. Now Lauren, I won't be going back in today," he said, despite the fact that Sarah kept mouthing 'no' and shaking her head at him.

"Sarah came down with a cold, so I'll take the rest of the day off… Ok, I'll tell her you said so… You have a nice weekend, too. Bye," Chuck added and after finishing the call he put the cell back into his pocket.

Sarah didn't say anything, just kept drinking her tea.

"What? No words of protest?" Chuck asked while taking stuff out of the bag.

"What for? Do you listen?" Sarah shot back in a forced nonchalant tone.

"Progress, at last God!" the man joked, playfully looking up at the ceiling.

Sarah just shook her head in response.

Chuck handed her a pill and a tiny cup with cough syrup, which she washed down with tea.

"Almost forgot, Lauren said get well. Now, you should eat something after your bath," Chuck said, putting the bag away.

"I'm not hungry. My throat is kinda sore," Sarah replied in a husky tone, shifting some bubbles around herself.

"Well, make an effort. Ellie said you should eat to build your strengths up, and also drink plenty fluids. I picked up some chicken soup on the way," the man stated rather seriously, looking straight at her.

"You called Ellie? Oh, my God!" Sarah protested with an indignant look on her face.

"What's the big deal? I needed help with the meds, there are so many choices. You know, I knew the lack of protests wouldn't last very long," Chuck replied with a sly smile playing in his lips.

She stared at him for a while.

"I'm sorry, old habits. Now, could you please fetch me that robe? I wanna out," the blonde with her hair twisted into a bun conceded midst a genuine smile.

Moments later Sarah sat in bed, under the comforter, leaning on the headboard as she had just finished eating some chicken soup. The almost empty bowl sat on the nightstand. Chuck lay beside her, over the comforter, with his head propped on two stacked pillows as they watched the first movie of their "Ladies Marathon". Which was planned by the man himself and consisted of: Sabrina, Gilda and Lolita; in that order. Linus had barely started his plan to keep Sabrina away from David when Chuck paused the flick.

"I've got to run out for a bit," Chuck said, looking up to his side at Sarah.

"Really?" she asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice, as she pulled out a Kleenex from the box that was on the bed next to her and wiped her nose.

"Yeah, I have to bring your car in. It's back at the store's parking lot, remember? You rode back home with me," he replied, turning on his side for comfort purposes.

"Right, I even forgot about that," the blonde said huskily, and then stacked both of her pillows and properly lay down.

"Don't worry, I got it all covered. I also have to pick up Yeller at the dog day care," Chuck stated with a somewhat proud smile on his face.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Sarah asked with narrowed eyes as she assessed her boyfriend's face.

"I mean, me being all vulnerable and you coming to my rescue," she added with the same demeanor.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm _enjoying_ you being sick… But I'm always the vulnerable one, the one who needs you to save me, you know, come to my rescue and all. And I'm more than fine with that, don't get me wrong, you're like my real-life heroine," Chuck delivered frankly, looking directly into her eyes and with a nerdy smile at the final bit.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is… it's nice to be able to be on the other end of the stick for a while. Give something back; be there for you, even if in a small way like this," he added in a sweet and assertive tone.

Sarah's face morphed from attentive to touched in the blink of an eye.

"From what I've gathered so far, I'd say this 'switch' is quite… difficult for you," Chuck finished softly, after taking a few seconds to come up with the right word to depict her feelings.

The woman was amazed by the degree of knowledge this man who lay beside her possessed when it came to her feelings, insecurities… all of herself. Somebody in this crazy wide world knew her. Really knew her. Her true self, fake identities aside. And as much as this scared her, it was all she secretly ever wanted.

"You make it easier. Every day," Sarah seriously replied with all her heart, as genuinely as genuine can get. She truly meant it.

It took a moment for those words to really land on Chuck. A shiver ran through his body. He looked at Sarah and she had never looked more open and more beautiful than at that instant. The walls, her walls, were tumbling down. It was one of those moments when you can just sense these things.

The couple just stayed there laying down, facing each other. And then Sarah leaned closer and kissed Chuck. He kissed back, deeper.

They pulled apart. Smiles graced their features.

"Now, who's getting me sick?" Chuck joked after a beat, smiling brightly at her, to which she smiled coyly back.

"Ok, I have to go now. But don't you worry, 'Sarah fair'… I'll be back in a flash," he joked while standing up quickly.

Sarah laughed as she looked from a moving Chuck to the frozen still of Audrey Hepburn on the television screen.

"I'd never miss out on Gilda… or Lolita, for that matter," he finished in a loud tone of voice as he left their room.

Indeed in a flash Chuck was back with Yeller on his heels.

"That… was quick," Sarah stated in between coughs as she watched Chuck heading to the other side of their bed.

"Yeah," Chuck replied midst a smile while letting his body fall onto bed.

"And, apparently, just in time to watch Sabrina save Linus," he added, looking at the end of the movie playing on the big television screen.

"Truth be told, I'd say they save each other," Sarah knowingly replied, with a matching knowing smile on her face, as she caught her boyfriend's gaze.

Chuck mimicked her smile. The parallels were not at all lost at him. Suddenly, Yeller – feeling a bit ignored – jumped on the bed. Yes, he knew better, but dogs will be dogs.

"Yeller, down," Chuck said, looking at the dog.

The dog stayed put.

"Yeller, down," Sarah mimicked Chuck's previous words, but in a decisive and firm tone.

Yeller jumped off of the bed instantly, and Sarah shot her boyfriend a pointed look paired with a cheeky smirk on her face.

"It's all in the tone," the blonde told him, unable to wipe the smirk off of her face.

"So you keep telling me, Victoria Stilwell," Chuck shot back midst a forced smile.

"Should I pop in 'Gilda'?" he added in question, looking at Sarah.

"That came out…" Chuck started to say but was interrupted by a sneeze. His own.

"…wrong. Oh, boy!" the man finished with a peculiar look on his face. The look on Sarah's face matched his.

Next morning -- a pleasant Saturday morning -- Chuck woke up with his head throbbing, his nose stuffy and his throat sore. He rolled over to Sarah's side and saw the blonde wide awake; her cold allowed her little sleep that night.

"I'm sick," Chuck stated through a nasal voice.

"I told you," Sarah replied in the same tone, running a hand through her boyfriend's hair.

"This sucks," he stated even more nasally so.

"Tell me about it," she replied while wiping her nose with a Kleenex.

"In interest of full disclosure, I should warn you that I'm not like you. I whiny a lot when I'm sick. A lot!" the man said midst a small smile as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Duly noted," Sarah delivered, matching Chuck's smile only a bit wider.

"Well, since we can't do anything about our present state, what do you say we stay under the covers until this goes away?" Chuck asked softly and charmingly as he pulled her closer.

"I'd say we got ourselves a plan," Sarah replied huskily as she nestled against him and placed her head on the nook.

* * *

**Six Months Later**

"Can you believe she had the nerve to say that to me?" Sarah asked Chuck with a look of disbelief on her face, as the couple finished setting the table for dinner.

"I bet she regretted after you clocked her," Chuck replied with a smile on his face, while putting two wine glasses on the table next to their plates.

"Nice jab, by the way. She didn't even see it coming," he added proudly, looking directly at his girlfriend.

"Thanks," the blonde honestly replied, smiling back at him.

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. Are you expecting someone?" Sarah added as she walked towards the front door.

"Nope," Chuck simply called out to her.

Sarah reached the door and partially opened it. There was a moment of silence after she saw who was standing there.

"Bryce? Hi," she said in surprise, looking at the smiling man in front of her.

"Hello, Bryce!" Chuck opened the rest of the door and greeted his Stanford friend with a not-so-natural wide smile.

"Chuck?" Bryce asked, surprised to find the man there.

"Missed me?" Chuck added rather sarcastically as he sized up the CIA agent.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N:** Sorry about the cliffie :D


	18. Epilogue Part II

**Title**: Chuck vs. Life

**Author**: mary_br

**Characters**: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

**Chapters**: 17/17

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

**Summary**: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

**A/N:** Finished at last! 178 pages of Word (on Arial #10) later and I'm done! I want to thank you all for the reviews and for the love this story received from the start. Obrigada! It's been a pleasure.

Without further ado, here's the last (ENORMOUS) installment of Chuck Vs. Life :)

I hope you all enjoy it! I know I did.

**Epilogue**** (Part II)**

...

Sarah reached the door and partially opened it. There was a moment of silence after she saw who was standing there.

"Bryce? Hi," she said in surprise, looking at the smiling man in front of her.

"Hello, Bryce!" Chuck opened the rest of the door and greeted his Stanford friend with a not-so-natural wide smile.

"Chuck?" Bryce asked, surprised to find the man there.

"Missed me?" Chuck added rather sarcastically as he sized up the CIA agent.

Bryce, still a bit astounded, decided to render Chuck's question rhetorical. There was a brutally awkward moment as the threesome exchanged looks while they stood unmoved by the condo's door.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Bryce asked slyly after regaining composure.

"I'm sorry. Yes, sure," Sarah replied midst an uncomfortable and forced smile as she stepped away to let him through.

"By all means," Chuck said sort of overlapping her words as he also stepped back wearing a peculiar smile on his face.

"So, Bryce… Long time no see," the blonde woman let out standing at the foyer, desperately trying to come up with a topic to get rid of the awkward tension that filled the room. As Chuck got caught up a few steps behind closing the door.

"Yeah, actually, since Omaha… or lack thereof," the blue-eyed man delivered in a tone mixed with seriousness and defensive playfulness, as he looked straight into her eyes.

Bryce figured Chuck didn't know about that, but he was well aware of everything. The latter, who had just turned around from closing the door, caught the looks and exchange between the former couple and, well, didn't fancy it. Sarah stared back at Bryce, so she didn't notice the odd look on her boyfriend's face.

"Sorry… about that. I meant to call and, you know, explain…" she frankly started to say before the agent interjected.

Back then Sarah really meant to call Bryce to decline his getaway offer, but she just couldn't. Not because she feared he would change her mind, but because she feared what he could force her to face. She might have been able to fool Chuck into believing she stayed for her job, and for her job only. Her boyfriend's modesty has always been uncanny – and one of the reasons she loved him this much. However, Bryce's trained spy eye was another matter entirely. He surely would have confronted her and, at the time, she was nowhere near ready to face her feelings for Chuck. So, she skipped his call and let her omission speak for itself. For being that coward, and tactless, she was truly sorry.

"Please, it's fine. Really," Bryce cut her off midst a tight-lipped smile.

Sarah couldn't quite read his tone. She wasn't sure if he really meant that, but then her attention shifted back to Chuck. This time she caught really well the weird look on his face. She didn't know if she should say or do something to appease him. She was never one to thrive in emotional issues, and this tension and awkwardness sure weren't helping her out any. She felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. Before she could think further or react somehow, Chuck spoke.

"So, what brings you here, Bryce?" Chuck asked midst a small smile, trying to sound cool and collected while stuffing his hands in his jeans' pockets.

He sensed Sarah's eyes studying him.

"I had a connection at LAX, but my flight got delayed for a couple of hours. So, I thought I'd check in with… uh, you guys," Bryce said nonchalantly, and lost in thought, as he eyed their dining room table all set for dinner.

"Right," Chuck added nodding 'yes'.

"Wow, the company is really making you two work on this cover relationship thing, huh? I mean… midweek, no mission, and here you are about to have dinner," the CIA agent stated with a grin plastered on his face, as he took the opportunity to study the faces of his friend and his ex who stood near him.

Sarah briefly looked at Chuck. Chuck briefly looked at Sarah. All he knew is that he wouldn't be the one jumping in and setting the record straight. The last thing he wanted was to appear as the overeager schmuck who just couldn't wait to profess his feelings and all. Especially when he wasn't even sure if Sarah wanted to reveal the reality of their relationship's status to the man in question.

Sarah saw straight through the utter vulnerability in her boyfriend's eyes. Even though she wasn't one to flaunt her feelings, even though she had real issues to verbalize these sorts of emotions – or any emotion for that matter – especially to someone she was previously linked; she just couldn't bear to leave her boyfriend, her partner, her best friend hanging. Whatever was going through his mind, she felt this strange urge to silence.

"It's not a cover," Sarah stated firmly and yet softly as she shortened a bit the gap between herself and Chuck.

In a matter of seconds Sarah looked to her side at Chuck and noticed not the widest, but certainly one of the sweetest smiles she had ever seen gracing his features. Turned out pleasing him had a reflex effect on her, so she smiled back.

"So, why…" Bryce started to ask but stopped mid-sentence after the light bulb went on.

"Oh… I see," he added with a peculiar smile as he looked from Sarah to Chuck, and back.

There was yet another brief awkward silence between the three of them.

"Yeah, Sarah moved in almost a year ago. We've been living together ever since," Chuck said in an attempt to fill the awkward silence, still holding the same smile on as he took a few steps left, making the gap between him and Sarah extinct.

"Well, I'm happy for you. Both of you," Bryce stated as he ran a hand through his impeccably nice hair.

The truth was that Chuck Bartowski wasn't the only one who experienced a sort of envy when it came to Bryce Larkin. Chuck may never have perceived this, but Bryce himself envied the nerdy man as well. Chuck had heart, roots and goodness. Bryce had coolness, guts and a thousand moves. That's what they saw on the other. But this mutual envy feeling both guys shared wasn't at all directed to its negative side, in fact, it was rooted in a good thing: the fact that both looked up to the qualities the other possessed. This probably might have been the very reason why they became friends in the first place.

"Please, I don't want to keep you from dinner," the spy added nonchalantly.

Chuck and Sarah watched the man, and he wasn't making any move towards the door. It was like he was begging to be invited. After a while Chuck decided to finally oblige.

"Do you care to join us?" Chuck asked midst an I-give-up smile.

"Love to," Bryce answered without missing a beat as he took off his black leather jacket.

Sarah, Chuck and Bryce moved further into the condo, leaving the foyer behind.

"I'll set an extra place at the table," Sarah said to both men, offering them a polite smile.

Bryce began wandering around towards the lounge area, which gave the couple a small window of time to mutely interact: Sarah shot a what-the-heck look at Chuck from the dining room table, and he replied with an I-don't-have-the-faintest-idea shrug from near the lounge.

"Let me put some music on," Chuck stated light heartily to change the silent subject.

"What you're in the mood for? Jenny Lewis? Maybe Sigur Rós or Explosions In The Sky…" he added a bit louder to reach Sarah's ears at the kitchen as she gathered utensils from the cabinets.

Bryce had entered the lounge area, put his jacket over an armchair, and stood in front of the contemporary white mantel of their black fireplace – although there was no fire behind the protective glass. Without tuning out of the couple's conversation, he carefully studied the pictures they had framed on top of it. One that he figured was from the wedding of Chuck's sister, Ellie. Since she wore a long white gown and smiled brightly holding a bouquet as she posed along with a matching smiling Sarah, wearing a classy rich aubergine dress, which matched Ellie's bouquet flowers. So, he deduced she was the bride's maid. Sarah stood next to Chuck, who had his arm wrapped around her – detail that didn't go by unnoticed by the spy – and wore a sharp black suit paired with white shirt and tie. He must have been the best man, 'cause he matched from head to toe the man who embraced Ellie, and whom most likely was the groom. They all looked very… happy.

"Explosions, if you please," Sarah called back from the kitchen.

Bryce's eyes moved to another picture that had Chuck and his weird bearded friend goofing around at what it looked like a park, considering the extensive green lawn. The next one was surely a private joke, since it featured Sarah straddling a black horse at some carrousel, and wearing a forced smile on her face at it.

"Nobody should have to listen to your high-pitched girly voice as you attempt to sing along to Jenny," she added in a teasing tone midst a wide grin.

Bryce, attentive to their talk, stopped his picture scrutiny and turned back to look at Chuck with a pointed look on his face.

"She's lying," Chuck quickly dismissed shaking his head and looking at Bryce. "You're lying," he continued shifting his gaze to Sarah at the kitchen and grinning midst narrowed eyes.

"My Lewis interpretation is nothing short of brilliant and you know it!" Chuck with his megawatt smile added half-joking in an overplayed mockery offended tone, as he went a little further from the lounge to the office area to grab the cd Sarah chose, which lay on the desk next to the computer.

Sarah couldn't contain a chuckle as she came back to set Bryce's place on the table. The former displayed a yellow smile; he didn't feel quite comfortable with the couple's give and take. So, he quickly went back to the pictures.

The last one appeared to have been taken without the couple's knowledge because both weren't looking straight ahead to the camera. It was black and white; Chuck and Sarah sat at a round table side by side. It looked like a party and in the background you could partially read the word "Dash" in a banner. Seemed like they had been talking, but at the moment the shot was taken Chuck looked straight into Sarah's eyes and she looked straight back. His left arm rested on top of the table and his palm-up hand – sticking out of the table's rounded edge – gently held Sarah's right one. They looked so connected into their own little moment. He had a serene smile on his face, and she had this lovely one at hers. One that Bryce never found himself at the receiving end. But, most of all, the picture screamed intimacy, and it shook the CIA agent somehow.

The pictures were over and Bryce looked to the right and to the left of the fireplace. There were two white, modern-looking bookcases filled with books and decorative items -- one at each side. In an instant he chose the right one to inspect, thus moving his focus along with his body to the item. Nothing eye-catching there, so he just tagged along with Chuck towards the living room to pop the cd in.

"I see your sister tied the knot," Bryce said to Chuck on their way to the living room.

"Yeah, she did. Halfway to their second anniversary, actually," Chuck replied with a satisfied smile on as he cornered the end table and entered the living room area.

"Good, good," Bryce rambled on as he leaned with both hands on the back of the couch.

"And who's that?" the agent added after spotting a sleeping dog on the living room's big rug.

Chuck, who had just popped the cd into their cool stereo, turned around to see whom he was referring to.

"Oh, that's Yeller," Chuck replied casually while grabbing the stereo's remote control on the coffee table and pushing play.

At the mention of his name the dog woke up. After a few seconds of situating himself, and shaking off the after-sleep feeling, he was up wagging his tail like crazy. Bryce made his way into the living room, kneeled to Yeller's level and patted the dog.

A little while later both men started to leave the living room for the dining room table when Yeller jumped on the couch. Chuck stopped at his tracks and Bryce, not really knowing why Chuck had stopped, did the same. Sarah watched by the table to see what the mishap was all about.

"Down, boy," Chuck stated very unconvincingly.

The retriever did nothing but wag his tail even harder.

"Yeller, down!" Bryce ordered firmly without raising his voice.

Yeller jumped off immediately. Chuck shot the man beside him a look.

"The tone," the blue-eyed man cheaply put it.

Chuck shot a look at Sarah this time. Their eyes made complete contact. That was Bryce Larkin for you, always managing to one up him.

"You don't say," Chuck said with a hint of irony as he flashed his oblivious friend a half smile.

The guys resumed their walk towards the dining room table and at no time they reached their destiny.

"Can I help with something?" Chuck asked as Sarah placed an oval big white serving platter filled with pesto pasta on the center of the glass dining table.

"Yes, could you please fetch the wine?" Sarah replied in question as she checked out the table to make sure everything was ok.

"Sure. Sauvignon Blanc, right?" Chuck asked on his way to the kitchen, to which Sarah replied with an hmm-hmm.

"You can sit there, Bryce," the blonde said signaling his seat with a head motion.

"Alright," the man replied as he did what he was told.

"Have you notice? Yeller is misbehaving a lot lately," Chuck pensively said as he arrived to his seat at the head of the table with a wine bottle in one hand and a corkscrew in the other.

"Yeah, you're spoiling him too much," Sarah answered in an oh-so-planned blasé tone as she took a seat across from her fellow CIA agent.

Bryce watched their interaction; Chuck and Sarah oozed this couple thing that made him quite uncomfortable. The blonde started to serve the pasta for the trio.

"Me?" Chuck rhetorically asked midst an ironic chuckle as he opened the wine bottle and finally sat down.

"Right... Please, do refresh my memory, who exactly feeds him his kibbles one by one every other day? I've forgotten," he added playfully midst overstated squinted eyes as he poured wine in all of their glasses.

Sarah flashed him the best wry smile she could muster, which seconds later bloomed into a genuine bright one.

"This is really great," Bryce stated changing the subject after he ate a forkful of the pesto pasta.

"I can't take credit. It was all Sarah, I'm afraid," Chuck said through a peculiar sort of smile, moving his gaze from Bryce to his girlfriend.

"Really? I specifically remember you saying, and I quote, 'I'd rather die than spend my day in some kitchen cooking'," the dark-haired CIA agent delivered rather maliciously midst a devious smile as he attempted to stir the pot.

The couple laughed in unison, which annoyed Bryce even more but he managed to keep the smile on for appearance's sakes. The truth was he felt like on the outside of an inside joke from the moment he walked in the apartment.

"Actually, it's takeout. I meant she was the one who found out this fine restaurant," Chuck said before taking a sip of his wine.

"But Chuck is the master of scavenging the best places. You should see our takeout menus drawer: the crème de la crème. But I'm not so anti-cooking now; I've found that, at times, it can be therapeutic," the blonde stated after swallowing some pasta.

Even if Chuck couldn't see the game Bryce was trying to play, Sarah could. And she would not stand for it. So, she shot him a look that clearly translated the I'm-on-to-you general idea.

"Now, doing the dishes… that's another matter," Chuck teased with a sly smile on his face as he looked from Bryce to Sarah.

"Well, guilty as charged. I think our 'you-wash-and-I-dry-them' system works out pretty well," Sarah plainly said wearing a matching smile on her face before she took another sip of wine.

The blue-eyed man offered them yet another yellow smile in return.

"This is a nice place you've got here, Chuck," Bryce stated as he looked around the condo with admiration.

"What have you been up to? I take it you left the Buy More, right? Well, or maybe you're a kept man," the CIA agent finished in a half-joking, half-serious tone as he let out a rather sarcastic laugh.

This time not only Sarah, but Chuck as well, sensed a subtle underlying barb. However, two could play this game.

"Yes, you found me out. Sarah is keeping me. What can I say? I'm her personal boy-toy," the taller man replied in a serious tone, but with an apparent smirk playing in his lips. And then he ate a forkful of pasta.

Bryce's eyes widened a bit as he was hit with that unpleasant mental image.

"He's kidding," Sarah dismissed shaking her head while shooting her boyfriend a pointed look.

"Dash, his company, is doing very well. They create software and handle some web design as well," the blonde woman added softly with such apparent pride in her eyes that both men could not have missed it.

Chuck felt the need to give her hand a gentle, appreciative squeeze, and flash her a sweet smile too. Bryce didn't miss those either.

"Bill Gates with style, huh?" Bryce rhetorically and nostalgically asked bringing back their past to the table.

"I always knew you had it in you, Chuck," he added in honesty flashing his friend a smile.

"Thanks, really, but I'm not even close. Not even near to being in the same vicinity as close," the nerd man genuinely replied midst a candid smile, touched by the other man's words.

"What about you? What are you doing lately?" Chuck added in question as Bryce swallowed some food.

"If I said I would have to kill you… literally," the CIA agent stated midst a sly smile.

"I'm sure Casey would kill you first... for real this time," Chuck retorted matching his friend's tone and smile.

"Touché," Bryce conceded with a cheapish smile on his face as he raised his almost empty wine glass towards Chuck.

In the middle of the glass raise Bryce took the opportunity to subtly steal a glance at his watch. The trio had already eaten most of their food, their wine glasses were almost empty, and soon enough he would have to get back to the airport. If he would really carry on with his new developed plan, he would have to do it at that moment.

So, Bryce "accidently" spilled the rest of his wine onto his black dress shirt.

"Gosh, I'm such a klutz!" the man said playing his part as he tried, not very hard, to dry his shirt with the fabric napkin that previously sat on his lap.

Chuck and Sarah watched his efforts. Sarah didn't buy for a second his clumsy act.

"It doesn't look like it is working. Don't worry, if anyone understands spills that person is me. I'll go grab one of mine to lend you," Chuck understandingly offered as he got up from the table.

Sarah shot Bryce a knowing look and he shrugged midst a playful smile. Chuck's black chucks hit the shiny, red oak stairs towards the couple's bedroom.

Anticipating something, Sarah started to clear up the table under Bryce's severe scrutiny. She proceeded to bring the plates to the kitchen sink, and her former flame followed her.

"What are you doing, Sarah?" Bryce asked folding his arms as he leaned his back against the kitchen's island.

"What do you mean?" the blonde replied directly with her back turned to him as she pointless rearranged the dishes in the sink.

"You know what I mean. This. Playing house with Chuck," he blurted out while keeping a low tone of voice.

His remark made Sarah leave the dishes and turn around. Then, she expectantly fixed her gaze at him.

"Take a look around, this is not the life of a spy! People like Chuck are not like us, not like you and me. And they'll never be. They want normal, mundane lives with houses, white picket fences, dogs and kids. I don't know how you allowed these things you feel, well, these things you _think_ you feel for Chuck to trick you into blurring the lines but it's not too late," Bryce added in the same tone as he took a step forward towards Sarah.

Sarah flashed him a cynical smile, shook her head and looked down.

"You never knew what I wanted Bryce, so don't start pretending to do so now. And as far as Chuck goes… you certainly know nothing about what we have," she replied dryly after re-meeting his gaze.

"You're probably right. I don't know anything about your relationship to Chuck. But I do know you, and I know this isn't what you want for your life. Deep down you know that this thing between you two, this mix of work and pleasure in our line of business will end in one of three things: you'll get hurt, or he'll get hurt or both of you will get hurt," Bryce stated as fast as a speeding bullet as he yet again took a step closer to the blonde woman, who eyed the stairs afraid of a possible and sudden Chuck appearance.

Bryce was dead wrong about Sarah not wanting to lead a normal life. This showed how little he really knew the real Sarah. She always wanted to, but her job -- most importantly, the love she has for her job – never allowed her to even dare to dream about such thing. Since she knew she could never really give one up to have the other, and she deemed impossible to have both. Her recent life with Chuck proved her wrong. She finally had both. But it did not mean that she didn't still fear every single day the scenarios Bryce brought up. He was right, it was dangerous. But she had struggled and she had made the decision to go for it, to take the risk, many moons ago. She wouldn't take it back. She wasn't even sure if she could at that point, even if she wanted to… which she didn't.

"Anyway, this is not all I wanted to say. This is not the most important thing I wanted to tell you. You see, I really care for Chuck. He's my friend, probably my only real friend, and I have the upmost respect for him. So, I would never do anything to purposely hurt him. And I know you don't like to talk about this stuff… But, for the sake of all of us, I have to ask you this… Do you really love Chuck? Don't you have feelings for me anymore? 'Cause I sense you do, and in that case you could come along with me. We'd run around the globe shutting down Fulcrum, agent by agent," he added a bit slower with a charming smile taking over his features.

"But if you don't, if you really do love him… Just say the word and I'll never say or do anything about this matter ever again," the blue-eyed man finished shoving his hands into his jeans' pockets as he stared right into her blue ones.

Sarah stayed silent for a bit. Not because she had doubts, but because it really was very difficult for her to speak her feelings.

"I do. I really… love him," Sarah said softly with a lovely smile on her face, not really able to hold her stare at Bryce.

"Alright… Thank you… for the honesty, I mean. I just had to ask," Bryce replied nodding and tight-lip smiling.

"He's a lucky man," he added softly as he stood very close to her at that point.

Chuck came down with a black pinstripe dress shirt in hand, and walked into _that _scene. His stare went quickly from Bryce -- and his close proximity to his girlfriend -- straight to Sarah's eyes. Bryce swiftly, and subtly, took a step back but Chuck's eyes stood fixed on Sarah's blue ones, even when the man began speaking.

"Sowed that thing together yourself up there?" Bryce attempted to joke midst a wide grin as he walked towards his friend, but Chuck's eyes remained glued to Sarah's. It started to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Well, I had to find one I wouldn't mind about probably ever seeing again. Plus, it had to be black, you know, I didn't want to mess with your whole spy look," Chuck seriously replied rather snappily, still holding Sarah's gaze.

The blonde grew more uncomfortable by the minute, and she reached the point where she could no longer hold his stare. So, she stared at her shoes instead. Chuck noticed, and didn't take it as a good sign.

Chuck handed Bryce the shirt, really looking at the man for the first time.

"You know, I can mail it back to you if you'd like," the blue-eyed man offered as he took off his wine spilled shirt and replaced with Chuck's fresh one.

Chuck trained his eyes back on Sarah and the woman had turned around to re-rearrange the dishes in the stainless steel kitchen sink.

"No, keep it. Don't say I never gave you anything," Chuck let out with a hint of irony in his tone as he trained his eyes back on Bryce. No smile graced his face.

"Well, thank you," the CIA agent replied with a smile on his face as he buttoned up the last button of the shirt, and glanced at his watch.

"I hate to eat and leave, but it's really time for me to get back to the airport. You know, duty calls," he added charmingly with the discarded shirt in hand.

"That's ok; I'll walk you out," Chuck said dryly as he patted Yeller who had just made his way next to him.

"Thank you, both of you! Everything was great, really," Bryce said looking from Chuck back to Sarah, who turned around from the sink and offered him a polite smile.

Before Chuck started his walk towards the door he took the opportunity to briefly make eye contact with Sarah. By now she could "read" his looks pretty well, and that one meant trouble. Chuck -- accompanied close by Yeller -- walked his former nemesis to the door. After grabbing his leather jacket, and a polite exchange of goodbyes, the CIA agent was again out of their lives. Not without repercussions, of course.

Chuck walked slowly back to the kitchen. Sarah was miraculously doing the dishes, something was definitely up. He leaned his back against the long counter a bit further away from her. The brown-eyed man could feel the chill of the black granite on his hands that were propped on the countertop. Chuck watched her profile expectantly. After a few seconds Sarah stole a glance at him but didn't say anything. He could no longer expect.

"So…" he prompted softly, folding his arms defensively.

"What?" she asked in the same tone as looked briefly at him and she lathered up a plate.

"I believe that question is mine. What happened here?" Chuck asked maintaining his cool as best as he could.

"Nothing. Nothing happened," Sarah answered steadily concentrated on the task of rinsing the plate.

"Please, the moment I walked in the tension between you two could be cut with a knife," Chuck protested a little louder as he began to talk with his hands as well.

Emotional related personal confrontations definitely weren't part of Sarah's domain. It was uncanny how much she struggled in that department. She had made progress, but all her first instincts told her to close up like a clam. Especially when pressured.

"I already told you nothing happened. I don't know what else you want to hear, but what I find interesting is your lack of faith and trust in me," the blonde delivered stoically as she lathered a wine glass a bit too harshly.

"I never said that. It's not what all of this is about. I completely trust and have faith in you… I just can't say the same about him. I simply asked what happened… I must have been mistaken here, 'cause I thought it was best to lay it all out in the open. But don't you worry, I won't beg for it and I won't bring it up again," the man said, softly yet again, with a sad look on his eyes as he ceased leaning on the counter.

They stared at each other for a few tense seconds.

"Fine! As I said nothing really happened, but if you insist on details Bryce just…" Sarah began to say looking directly at him as her hands dripped onto the kitchen floor, but was interrupted by Chuck.

"Stop, please… You don't _have_ to tell me anything. It's pretty clear that you think I'm not entitled to it," the man harshly interjected, unable to hold her hurt stare for long, ultimately resulting to stare at his chucks.

"Do you really believe that?" the blue-eyed woman asked softly and incredulously after a beat as she self-protectively placed a hand on her waist. He also detected the hurt in her tone and he began to hate this whole situation.

Chuck couldn't bring himself to answer her question with words. It seemed somehow too powerful to fully and bluntly express it, so he just shot her a look that conveyed his affirmative response.

_Come on, what was he supposed to think?! _He wondered.

_How can he possibly think that?!_ She wondered.

Once again they found themselves locked in a stare contest. This was all getting to be too much for Chuck. He needed air, he needed some space and he needed them at that instant.

"I'll take the dog out for his walk," Chuck ceremoniously informed breaking down the silence and deviating his eyes from hers.

"Ok," Sarah replied as she turned back to the sink to stop the running water. Maybe that's what they needed: a walk to get some air, some perspective, and to sort things out properly.

She waited for Chuck to ask her to join him like always. However, this time, the invitation, the adorable plea requesting her presence, didn't come. He took the leash, took Yeller and took off. Sarah, who was already feeling bad, felt even worse.

Chuck walked Yeller through their neighborhood's streets with an awful feeling in his gut. It was fruitless to deny it: he had been bit by the jealousy bug. He thought he was over this unpleasant feeling. During his and Sarah's relationship he learned – midst many stumbles and falls -- to deal with it throughout the missions, and even though he would never relish on the fact that his girlfriend had to occasionally flirt with other guys, he knew it was nothing but an act. He got confident enough to trust and to know what they really had. But then walks in _Bryce_, and everything he learned came tumbling down. His security seemed to vanish. After all what Bryce and Sarah had was real, unlike the make believe game of their missions. That fact shook the nerd. He had been right when he said to Sarah that it wasn't about trust or faith in them, the real problem – even though he was not ready to fully admit it – was his insecurities. As long as he refused to face that, Sarah would continue to receive the heat.

Chuck arrived home from the walk and everything was in utter silence downstairs. He unleashed Yeller and went to close the balcony glass door that he and Sarah opened before Bryce arrived because it was such a nice evening. The man crossed to the living room area, passed by this big arched window and made it there to close the door. Then Chuck went upstairs to their bedroom and heard that Sarah was in the shower. He wasn't ready to make nice. Not yet. So, he changed into sleeping clothes, grabbed his actual pillow under the several decorative ones and headed back downstairs to the couch. Yeller followed him like a little baby duck follow its mother after birth.

Sarah got out of the couple's bathroom wearing a beautifully white nightgown with her hair up in a messy but pretty bun. She spotted Chuck's clothes laid across the armchair and noticed that his pillow was missing. She couldn't believe how out of proportion he was blowing this thing. The blonde went to bed, resolute on not giving Chuck the satisfaction of coming to him first, but when she lay down the bed felt so empty without him. Her perpetually cold feet had nowhere warm to nestle. Sarah could hear the tv on downstairs, of course he had to choose the couch instead of the guest room just to dial up the drama factor. _Ok_, she thought. _I'll just go down for a glass of water and see if he'll say something._

A barefoot Sarah passed by the upstairs hallway and made her way down the stairs. Chuck lay on the couch "watching" tv – he really wasn't paying any attention to the program -- and patting Yeller who sat next to the couch. His head was facing away from the kitchen where Sarah stood. The woman made sure to be extra noisy and in no time he was well aware of her presence. Chuck sneaked a peek of Sarah pouring herself a glass of water. Damn she looked great! But he surely wasn't going to be the one to make the first move.

Sarah lingered in the kitchen for way more time than she actually needed to pour a glass of water. And still Chuck said nothing. She finally gave up and headed for the stairs. As she made her way upstairs Yeller started to leave Chuck to follow her.

"Et tu, Brutus?!" Chuck murmured to the departing brown retriever.

The tall Chuck tossed and turned on the couch. He couldn't sleep. The events of that evening played and replayed on his mind. He never thought he would say this, but he had grown accustomed even to Sarah's freezing feet. What the hell was he doing?! He had called his girlfriend on her communication's shortcomings many times before, and now he was the one doing the exact same thing.

With that thought in mind, Chuck turned off the tv and went upstairs to their bedroom. Sarah, who couldn't sleep either – and even contemplated going downstairs to talk to her boyfriend – heard the man as he came in. She felt the bed move when he sat down on the empty side over the fluffy comforter. The blonde faced away from him.

"Sarah, are you sleeping?" Chuck asked in a barely audible tone of voice.

"No… I couldn't," Sarah replied softly, still facing away from him.

Sarah's hair bun made the back of her neck exposed, and Chuck was mesmerized by the sight in front of him. He wanted to touch her so badly, but he contained the urge.

"Yeah… neither could I," he replied matching her tone.

His sentence made Sarah finally turn around to face him. Both instantly felt lighter. They held the other's stare for a while.

"I'm sorry". "Sorry," they said at the same time, which made the couple smile light-heartily.

"Please, let me go first," Chuck said as he scooted closer to her.

"I'm sorry, I overreacted. I let my jealousy and my own insecurities speak louder than what I knew was true… between us, I mean. And I wound up lashing out on you," he added softly as he gazed straight into her eyes.

"No, I should have been more open, more upfront… But I was telling the truth, nothing happened. I guess all he really needed was some sort of closure," Sarah frankly said as she took a moment to re-arrange the comforter around her.

"It's just that when it comes to that guy…" Chuck started with unintentional puppy-dog eyes.

"You have nothing to worry about," the blonde woman interjected as she grabbed a hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"After all we've been through, do I really still need to tell you that?" she added in question shooting him a pointed look.

"I guess not. No. But some reassurance every now and again won't hurt," Chuck replied midst his best charming smile.

Sarah smiled back. Brightly.

"Another very important thing," he added in a very serious tone after his smile had vanished.

"What?" she asked matching his tone, with a hint of concern in there as well.

"Did you really have to put that sexy thing on? I mean, that was a cheap shot," Chuck let out as he flashed her a devious smile.

"Oh, you like that? Really?" Sarah replied in her best coy tone as she faked a doubtful look.

"Yep… I do…" Chuck answered as he slowly moved on top of her and kissed her passionately.

* * *

**6 Months Later**

Sarah and Chuck – who sported a shorter/neater hairstyle – rushed through the Vegas casino's mazy lobby.

"You know, granted that I was supposed to be a whale and all, you guys kinda held out on my gaming budget," Chuck said in his black designer pinstripe suit as he ran beside Sarah.

"Yeah, well, considering last time, can you blame us?" Sarah retorted with her gun held up and wearing a croupier uniform which had a little metallic name tag that read 'Gina'.

"Point taken," the man conceded tilting his head a bit.

The couple continued their run for the money.

"Casey, what is your ETA?" the CIA agent seriously asked, which was caught by the ear comm. she wore.

"I'm going as fast as I can. I'd say four to six minutes," the NSA agent, who flew a helicopter above the city, replied firmly.

"You've got the disk, right?" the blonde woman checked with Chuck without deviating her eyes off of the lookout.

"Yes… for the third time," he replied unenthusiastically touching the outside of his left jacket's pocket to triple check as they took a sharp turn left.

A focused Sarah dismissed his latter remark. Chuck also took the opportunity to touch the outside of his right jacket's pocket. His hand met the then familiar square outline of the little black velvet box he had been carrying around for weeks with him. The feel of it made him briefly smile. Chuck meant to propose to Sarah, but he wanted to do so at the right place and at the right time. He wanted it to be perfect. She deserved nothing less. Everyone offered their two cents on where and how he should do it: Ellie, Awesome, Morgan, Lauren… well, not _everyone_; Casey, when consulted, told Chuck to leave him out of it – if you take a profanity or two. However, all the different opinions left Chuck confused and pressured to make the right choice, hence why he had been carrying the ring around for such a long time. Mr. Rice was right, too many options may indeed kill a man.

"I told you to stay _behind_ me, not _beside_ me," Sarah adverted as she looked at a running Chuck to her left.

"They are after us," the worried woman added softer.

Sarah had always been overprotective of Chuck, but lately she found that those instincts had unconsciously increased. Just the thought of something happening to him on her watch – or anyone's, for that matter – was simply unconceivable.

Chuck, aware of this fact since quite early into their relationship – albeit they never had to directly talk about it to reach this natural, full understanding -- promptly obliged.

It must have been some sort of sixth sense 'cause, a few seconds later, when they took a right at the next corner, Sarah – followed close by Chuck -- ran directly into one of the guys that were chasing them. In a reflex move she threw a right hook punch that hit the woman hard.

Meanwhile, in a slow motion kind of moment, Chuck's full attention went for a split second from the fighting Sarah to these typical Vegas' newlyweds. They were smiling and dressed in common casual clothes, but the woman wore a veil and held a simple bouquet, which gave away their recent acquired marital status. They seemed so happy that they passed by without even noticing the fight. Chuck watched the young couple go by and that scene landed hard on him, making the man question if there really was a right moment, a perfect moment to start living the rest of your life. After all, what was he waiting for anyway? He knew _exactly_ what he wanted. He knew it all along.

The split second passed by along with the slow motion kind of moment, and Chuck turned his attention back to his girlfriend, who used the back of her gun to knock the woman unconscious. He stared at Sarah deadpanned.

"Hurry, let's go! We gotta reach the elevator!" the blonde woman exclaimed as she turned her back on him to continue their run.

Chuck, having left his trance, gently grabbed her wrist from behind, prompting Sarah to turn around to him again.

"Will you marry me?" Chuck immediately asked in a soft tone as he gazed deeply into her blue eyes, still holding her by the wrist.

"Chuck, we don't have time to kid around!" Sarah chastised dismissively.

"Casey will be arriving…" the blonde, still under his grip, started to add but stopped mid-sentence when she really caught his eyes with hers and realized he really meant what he said.

"Oh, My God… You're being serious, aren't you?" Sarah asked matching Chuck's earlier deadpanned expression.

Chuck didn't have to say a thing. He just flashed her the sweetest smile… and she _knew_.

It took a few seconds for his question to truly sink in with Sarah. It would have taken longer, but unfortunately time was not a luxury at that moment. She took those few seconds to ponder what have been asked to her. Millions of thoughts, scenarios, pros and cons started to run through her head, but one had domain over the others: Sarah was certain she never had something she was so afraid of losing like what she had with Chuck.

"No. Let's move," came loud and clear from the CIA agent's mouth as she got herself free of his grip and rushed back towards the elevator.

It was Chuck's turn to need a few seconds to grasp what he had heard. But he bounced back quickly and rushed to catch up with his girlfriend, who had widened substantially the space between them.

"Wait! What? Why not?!" Chuck asked in full speed mode as he struggled to keep up with her fast pace.

Sarah wanted nothing more than to avoid this subject, but the woman pushed past this urge 'cause she felt he needed an explanation.

"We have a good, well, a _great_ thing going on. Why risk mess everything up? Now, can we talk about this later?" Sarah almost pleaded as they reached the elevator and she franticly pressed the button to call it.

"Listen, listen," Chuck said gaining the woman's attention as she turned her back to the elevator's door.

"I know you're scared, but…" he added but was interrupted by the elevator's ring as it reached the lobby where the couple stood.

The door opened and Chuck flashed on the guy inside. Sarah, who had her back to the door, didn't see him coming menacingly towards them. Chuck, without even thinking, punched the guy in the nose. The nerd had been learning some moves in the past few months. Granted he wasn't a spy; he never sought to be, but he wasn't completely useless either. Chuck fought the spy life, the Intersect life that was dealt to him with all his might since the start. The regular nerd kept bashing his head against the wall trying to fight something that clearly could not be fought with. A while ago though, he naturally and unconsciously stopped fighting so hard and sort of embraced his new reality. To his surprise as soon as the head bashing ceased… the head pain ceased just as well.

"Ouch! Holy Mother of God!" Chuck exclaimed shaking his hand in pain as Sarah situated herself and knocked out the guy.

"I don't know how you guys do this. My hand… I'm pretty certain bones got broken here," the nerd added in clear exaggeration as they entered the panoramic elevator, which displayed an amazing view of Vegas and all its lights.

Sarah's eyes scrutinized Chuck from head to toe and reached the conclusion that the man was merely dramatizing his state. She pushed the button to close the elevator's door more than once. Two more goons came running towards them, but the door closed before they could get in.

"We're safe for now. Casey must be here already or in close proximity," Sarah stated professionally as she pushed the button 41 to the roof, where the helipad was located.

"As I was saying, I know you're scared…" Chuck got back to his point as he meticulously caressed his aching hand, but was cut by Sarah.

"Chuck…" the blonde woman tried to interject as the full moon outside cast its bright light into her eyes, making them appear even bluer than usual.

"No, listen to me; I've been carrying this thing…" he softly said taking the little black velvet box out of his jacket's pocket.

The sight of it made the situation even more real for Sarah, and her heart began to race.

"…around for weeks now, 'cause I wanted to find the right moment, the perfect moment to propose to you. To do it in the middle of a mission, in Las Vegas of all places, sure wasn't one of the options. But I _just_ realized that there's no moment more perfect than right _now_," Chuck added as he closed the gap between them and smiled brightly at her.

"You said it yourself Sarah, we're great together! You know, all of my life I, uh… I felt like I was this normal guy, who just wanted a normal life… And when the Intersect and this whole spy business fell in my lap, well, it threw me off. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, deep down, I'm still the same guy, who wants these same things. And even though you Sarah, are extraordinary and as far from normal as possible, what I've come to realize is that normal to me is wherever _you_ are," the man let out with a charming smile on his face, and as fast as he could, holding the box in his hand.

Sarah took a deep breath as his words resonated deep within her.

"I don't care what your real name is, I don't care who your first love was, and I don't care where you were born or where you went to High School. 'Cause I know _you_. The _real_ you. The woman who wakes up every morning by my side, who has high morals and principles, the _only_ who has the uncanny ability to make or break me with a single stare, the one who puts the sake of others in front of her own, the one who drives me crazy with her damn stubbornness, who adorably arches an eyebrow when crossed… and whom I_ love_ more than I _ever_ thought possible. I could go on here, but the point is I don't care about your past. All I care about is your present and your future… with me by your side," Chuck continued to pour his soul the best way possible midst smiles as so many things to say filled his head.

The woman couldn't help, her eyes started to well up and all of the sudden Sarah felt her legs getting weak on her. This was in fact one of her biggest insecurities, if not the biggest, and to hear that the man she loved was actually aware and willing to overcome such obstacles just to be with her was simply too much to take.

"So, that being said, I ask you _again_," Chuck got down on one knee as he flashed his trademark megawatt smile and held the little box between both hands.

Sarah was unable to not display her oh-so-typical shy, coy, sweet and a tad self-conscious smile as she looked down at a kneeled Chuck.

"Sarah Walker, will you marry me?" the brown-eyed man asked gazing straight into her eyes as he opened up the little black velvet box to reveal this elegantly classy and gorgeous three round brilliant diamonds engagement ring set in shiny platinum.

Chuck glanced back at the elevator's panel, which flashed the number 37.

"Hate to rush ya, but you only have 4 more floors to say yes," Chuck expectantly added in joking tone, holding the megawatt smile on his face and the open box between his hands.

What else could she answer at that point? She was in love, and it felt amazingly good.

"Yes, I'll marry you," Sarah replied softly as she widened her shy smile.

Chuck breathed easier. He knew she would say yes, not because he got cocky or over-confident, but because he and Sarah were in the point of their relationship where both knew exactly what they shared with the other. They knew how special and one of a kind that was. Even so, there was no denying the sort of release he still felt to hear confirmation via the 'yes' that came from her own lips.

There was just enough time for Chuck to get up and slip the ring in Sarah's finger. A perfect fit. Not by chance, truth be told. Chuck had taken one of her rings for measure when he went ring shopping. After a short deep kiss, both couldn't contain smiling like children on Christmas Eve. A few years ago, if anyone told either one of them they'd be this happy, they wouldn't have believed. Chuck had found the yin to his yang, and Sarah the yang to her yin, or vice-versa.

Sarah and Chuck got out of the elevator on the roof, and Casey was already waiting in the chopper a little up on the helipad. The couple rushed up the small staircase that led to said helipad, 'cause the goons were sure not that far behind them. Chuck and Sarah were entering the chopper when the guys started firing their weapons from the bottom of the stairs. Sarah fired some shots for protection before closing the chopper's door behind them, and Casey took off immediately under fire.

"Next time the _fiancés_ wish to have a romantic moment, please, turn off the comms, 'cause it was truly hard to contain the puke mid-flight," Casey said in serious tone to the couple on the back seat as he made a smooth turn to the left.

Chuck and Sarah dismissed his comment, they were too happy to retort. The chopper's roof light hit the engagement ring's diamonds causing the light to refract and get separated into its spectral colors that reflected all over the back of the helicopter's front seat. A beautiful image for the newly-engaged couple to behold. Chuck took Sarah's left hand in his right one and both stared at the ring for a while. It felt kinda surreal in the best way possible. As the chopper flew across the extremely lit and colorful Las Vegas sky, Sarah looked at her fiancé and smiled brightly. Chuck gladly held her stare… and smiled brightly back. They were engaged.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

"Don't you worry… I'll make it pretty quick. One clean shot right between your eyes," Chuck menacingly informed Morgan of his destiny.

"Not if I take you down first," Morgan promptly replied mock-mimicking Chuck's tone.

The couple of friends continued their threats exchange as they sat on Chuck's living room couch enthusiastically playing a video game. Sarah, who typed last night's mission report in her laptop at their office's desk, heard their conversation and resolved to shake her head from time to time in disbelief of what she was hearing.

"What's the matter, buddy? You seem a bit off," Chuck empathetically asked eying the screen as they continued playing. At times he had noticed his friend looking kinda distracted throughout the evening.

"I'm sorry, it's just that Anna broke up with me… again," Morgan softly confided without taking his eyes of the flat screen as he punched the buttons of the video game's control pad.

"Again? Gosh, I'm the one who's sorry, pal... Uh, what is this? The fourteenth time? Fifteenth?" Chuck enquired with a puzzled look on his face.

"Nineteenth, actually," the Buy More uniform clad man quickly offered as he briefly glanced at Chuck by his side.

"Wow! Nineteenth already, huh? Kinda lost track there… But why? What does she want?" the taller man asked as he turned to look at Morgan.

"What does she want? Well, what she _always_ wants, what they _all_ always want: _more_. More, more, more and more," Morgan rather introspectively replied after he hit the pause button of his control pad.

Sarah heard Morgan's remark from the office area and merely shook her head more profusely as she rolled her eyes in disapproval.

"Well, all I ask you is this: do you love her?" Chuck presented his question.

"I'm not ready to buy an expensive rock and get down on one knee like my present company, if that's what you're asking. But, yeah, I think I love Anna... Yes," Morgan concluded after some thought as Chuck smiled at his friend's assessment on the latest development in his love life.

"I'm no expert, but if that's the case, buddy… My advice is: go after her right now. Talk to Anna and, well, _beg_ her to take you back. Crawl, if necessary," Chuck shared his pearls of wisdom as he patted his pal on the back.

"Am I right, or am I right, honey?" the engaged man called out to his fiancé as a sly smile played on his lips.

"He's right," Sarah simply and point-blankly called out back to them.

"See?" Chuck rhetorically asked as he put down his control pad on the coffee table.

"Yeah, you're right. You're _both_ right. I gotta go see my Anna banana," Morgan replied determinedly with a small smile on his face as he also put down his control pad and stood up.

"Now you're talking," the taller man enthusiastically stated matching his friend's smile as he stood up as well.

Both men started to leave the living room area towards the front door of Chuck and Sarah's condo apartment.

"Listen, you two, I'm awfully sorry to have to cut the 'Evening of Morgan' short. But, you know, love calls," the bearded little man said a bit louder to make sure Sarah could hear him too.

"That's a _real_ shame," Sarah replied after she turned the computer chair around to face the guys, wearing a sweet smile on her face and using a heavy dose of light-hearted irony, which only her fiancé detected by the way.

Chuck flashed Sarah a knowing smile and, after everyone said their goodbyes, he took Morgan to the door to send him off.

"Pedal safe, buddy," Chuck called out to Morgan on the apartment's outside hallway before he closed the door.

Yeller, who had been resting on the hardwood floor by Sarah's side, rushed to join him and both came walking back further into the apartment. Chuck started to clear the dining room table that had a couple of almost empty pizza boxes and soda cans spread all over it.

"A _real_ shame, huh?" Chuck ironically asked as he performed the task. He specially lingered on the word 'real', and a playful smile graced his features.

"Too much?" the blonde enquired with a matching smile and with her back turned to him as she energetically typed information.

"Maybe a tad," Chuck joked as he threw some cans into the kitchen's trash.

"Wanna help me out here?" he added in question heading back to the table.

Sarah rolled the computer chair around to be able to see Chuck, and leaned backwards on it.

"No, not really," the woman said bluntly looking straight at him with an unabashed look on her face and a smile on as she looked quite comfortable and relaxed leaned back on the ergonomic chair.

"But I will," she amended still smiling as she barefoot made her way to him by the dining table.

"Why, thank you!" Chuck replied in joking tone with a grin spread all over his face as he went to Sarah for a quick kiss.

However, as he was delivering said quick kiss, Chuck swiftly dipped Sarah -- in the classic Hollywood way -- and deepened the kiss. It caught the blue-eyed woman totally by surprise.

"What was that all about?" Sarah asked smiling as Chuck pulled her back up.

"Just practicing for the big day, you know, it's approaching fast," he replied matching her smile as both went on with the cleaning.

"I know," Sarah said as she went to the living room area to pick up a couple of disposable plastic plates on the coffee table.

A brief moment of silence fell between the engaged couple. Sarah made her way back to the kitchen with the aforementioned items in hand to trash them.

"Any… cold feet?" the brown-eyed man adorably probed looking at Sarah who stood near him behind the kitchen's island.

"They're, uh, _very_ warm," the blonde replied after a beat as she playfully narrowed her eyes a bit and smiled sweetly at him.

"See?" Sarah added in tease as she lifted her right foot for him to touch.

Chuck obliged as he smiled back at her.

"Yeah, very warm," the man stated keeping the smile on as he let go of her feet.

* * *

**10 Months Later**

Chuck left the movie theater's snack bar. He had a popcorn bucket trapped on his left arm and a box of milk duds, a pack of red vines and skittles crammed tightly in his right hand. It took only two steps for the clumsy man to let one of the packs fall to the ground. Chuck could use a set of extra hands at that moment, but Sarah needed to hit the bathroom. So, he was in charge of getting the snacks and they would meet by the snack bar whenever they were done.

Chuck klutzily squatted to retrieve the item and, while doing so, he saw a beautiful pair of pointy high-heeled pumps stationed right in front of him. The nerd knew it wasn't Sarah, he clearly remembered her putting on a pair of peep-toe flats. So, he figured he was in the way of someone. Chuck quickly picked the item and stood up ready to apologize. When his eyes finally fell on the familiar face they grew as big as saucers.

"Chuck Bartowski... I thought that was you!" the petite brunette in glasses said midst a wide smile.

The guy stood there in surprise – not to say in shock -- just staring at the girl who once upon a time broke his heart, unable to utter a single word. After a few seconds of silence the woman shot him a searching stare.

"Jill!" Chuck finally managed to exclaim midst a smile, after regaining control over his deadpanned mind.

"Oh, at last he remembers," Jill softly joked as she laughed in a slightly self-deprecatingly way.

"No, no… I was just, uh, surprised… You know, to bump into you here," Chuck politely corrected his ex.

"I was just kidding, Chuck," the black-eyed woman dismissed midst a charming smile.

"So, how are you? What have you been doing? It's been such a long time, hasn't it? Last time I saw you… you were working at a Buy More, right? Are you still, there I mean?" she added in genuine interest.

"No, I'm not. Actually, I've got my own company now. Nothing big… Computer stuff, as you might have guessed. Yeah, life is good. I'm good, and…" Chuck said when Sarah suddenly appeared by his side.

Both women looked at one another. Sizing each other up.

"Sarah, hey! Crazy thing. I just ran into Jill, you know, my old Stanford _friend_," Chuck said as he looked at the blonde standing beside him.

Jill reacted a bit to Chuck's definition of herself. And Sarah was well aware of whom Jill were. After all, for a long while all she heard were the tales of how badly the woman broke Chuck's heart.

"And Jill, this is Sarah. My _wife_," the brown-eyed man added as he stole a glance at the blue-eyed woman, who flashed him a sweet smile to which he counteracted with a wide one.

Even though he and Sarah were married for a while now, it still felt great to utter the words 'my wife'. It got him to smile every time. And so did Sarah hearing him saying them.

The aforementioned words that always made Chuck – and Sarah -- smile didn't have quite the same effect on Jill. In fact, they hit the woman like a ton of bricks.

"Oh, you got married?" Jill kinda rhetorically asked as she forced herself to smile a little.

Chuck shifted the popcorn bucket to his right arm, and held his left hand up to show her the slightly wide golden wedding ring.

"Well, congratulations! To both of you," Jill said wearing the same smile as she swiftly shifted her eyes from Chuck to Sarah, to Sarah's left hand and wedding ring, and back to Chuck.

Sarah was only able to muster the same forced little smile that Jill currently had on.

"I always knew you were the marrying type," the petite brunette added with a sweet reminiscing look on her face as she gazed directly into Chuck's eyes.

Sarah couldn't believe how shamelessly Jill was flirting with her husband, and Chuck felt uncomfortable with the whole situation. So, he sensed an urge to change the subject fast.

"What about you, Jill? What have you been doing? What brings you to town?" Chuck blurted fast as he tried to change the subject, but sounded more like a questioning.

"Well, I got my degree on mechatronics engineering and have been working on the area for quite some time now. I was actually here in LA for a job interview, and I'm proud to say that I got the position. I found out just today! That's why my friend… my _girl_ friend and I," Jill felt the unconscious need to stress the word, "are out to celebrate. Speaking of which, she's taking an awful lot of time in the bathroom," she concluded midst a smile, a genuine one this time.

"So, I guess I should be saying congratulations as well," Chuck politely stated as he felt Sarah grow more impatient and out of place in the conversation.

He was about to find a way to kindly say goodbye, but Jill fired another question before he had the chance.

"And how is your sister?" Jill asked as she took a step closer to Chuck to allow a man to pass by them.

Sarah didn't need to be a spy to notice the other woman's move, but the last thing she wanted was to play the desperate jealous wife and act all territorial.

"Ellie's great. Also married, and with a baby on the way. As a matter of fact she's due any of these days, right, honey?" Chuck informed Jill and rhetorically asked Sarah, who merely nodded with a smile in confirmation. Her expression screamed 'hurry'.

"How amazing!" Jill exclaimed as she briefly touched Chuck's chest.

Sarah had to control herself. This was getting ridiculous. Chuck didn't even noticed Jill's advance.

"Be sure to send her my best," the brunette woman added midst the widest grin.

"Will do... Now, if you excuse us, we'll go in to grab us a couple of proper seats," Chuck tried to wrap things up as he flashed her a polite smile.

"Yeah, I remember how meticulous you are about finding the right seats. Some things never really change," Jill stated midst an adorable smile as she attempted to fish some memories from their past.

Chuck didn't know what to reply, so he just offered the woman a yellow smile. Sarah, on the other hand, did not… offer her any smile. The blonde just shot the brunette a knowing, and yet classy, look. It bothered her that another woman, other than her, knew those little peculiar things about her husband.

"It was truly nice to see you again, Chuck… and to meet you, Sarah," Jill said of to Sarah's look, who nodded and mustered a tight-lipped smile back at the brunette.

"You, too," Chuck replied as Sarah linked arms with him and they started to leave.

It was really nice indeed for Chuck to run into the woman who stumped on his heart then, just to realize that she had got absolutely no hold on him whatsoever now.

"We should have coffee or something one of these days, you know, to catch up better," Jill called up to Chuck, causing him and Sarah to turn back around to face her.

"Sure," it was all Chuck could politely reply before he and Sarah were gone for real, even though he had no intention of ever taking Jill up on her offer.

A few hours later…

Chuck pulled his car into their house's garage, right next to Sarah's Porsche. They moved to a house by the beach right after their wedding.

They had a small ceremony on the beach just for really close family and friends. Chuck's of course. Sarah gave a lame -- but acceptable -- excuse to Ellie and everyone on Chuck's side as to why nobody on her side could attend the wedding. After the ceremony, photos, champagne and cake, Chuck took Sarah for a little walk on the sandy beach. From the sand he started to climb a short flight of stairs of a white deck from a random beach house. Sarah refused to follow him. She stated that she knew they couldn't have a proper honeymoon with travelling and all, but she wasn't going to spend it in jail for trespassing either. Chuck laughed and insisted for her to come. Eventually she obliged. The couple crossed said back deck, and then they reached the all-glass sliding doors. Sarah got intrigued when Chuck pulled a single key out of his pocket and opened it. He insisted on pick her up to carry her through the door. After mild protesting, she let him with a muffled smile creeping on her face. They entered the beach house and all their stuff from the condo was already there. Chuck called out 'surprise' with a pleased and foolish grin on his face, and asked her if she liked their new place. After Sarah replied how much she had loved it, they got carried away with their wedding night.

Yeller rushed to greet the couple as they entered the living by the garage's inside door. The two-storey beach house was spacious and yet cozy. Much like their condo apartment, the first floor was wall-less, very loft-like and high-ceiled. Living room, office, dining room, kitchen… everything was connected. And the view of the ocean by the back of the house through the modern glass walls was simply stunning.

After giving the dog a bit of attention, they went upstairs to change and hit the sack.

"I mean, can you believe that woman? The nerve," Sarah asked in clear annoyed tone as they entered the walk-in closet.

"She was just trying to be polite," Chuck naively replied as he sat down -- to remove his shoes -- on the modern rectangular ottoman in the center of the closet, which divided his and hers side.

"Please," the blonde dismissed shooting him an expecting pointed look as she kicked off her flats and removed her jewelry.

"What?" Chuck obliviously enquired midst a shrug as he, quite male-like, changed to sweats and a CBGB t-shirt in the blink of an eye.

"She was shamelessly flirting with you," Sarah pointed out in a charged disdainful tone as she undressed.

"She was not," Chuck softly protested midst a dismissive smile as he left the closet towards their suite's bathroom.

"Oh, I knew you were the marrying type," the blue-eyed woman called out for Chuck to hear in an exaggerated high-pitched tone trying to mimic Jill's voice as she put on comfy pjs.

"I remember oh-so-well how meticulous you were about your seats," she added in the same fashion as she walked towards the bathroom.

Chuck stood in front of the bathroom counter brushing his teeth and spotted Sarah's arrival.

"Ok, maybe," the brown-eyed man conceded after spitting toothpaste in his sink.

Sarah wickedly smiled at him as she also stood in front of the counter by her sink.

"Some things in life never change. We should totally get together to have coffee or _something else_," Sarah continued with her Jill performance as Chuck finished brushing his teeth.

"Alright, she _was_ flirting…" Chuck started to say in defeat as he leaned backwards on the pristine white counter.

"Thank you!" Sarah replied in victory midst a smile as she put some toothpaste on her toothbrush.

"And you're jealous," he continued shifting to a tone of voice loaded with gloat and wearing a wide smile on his face.

"Hmm, hmm," the woman promptly uttered in negation, with her toothbrush in her mouth, as she shook her head 'no' for emphasis.

"Yes, you are," Chuck said with the smile still in place as he nodded 'yes'.

"I gotta say that it's quite different, _and_ unusual, to be on the receiving side of jealousy. Come on, just admit it. It will be good for you," he added as Sarah finished with the brush.

"Fine. There is, uh, a possibility that I… might be…" Sarah softly began with difficulty as she looked straight into her husband's eyes.

"Ok, I'm jealous. Happy?" she conceded midst a small smile as she turned the water back on to wash her face.

"Thrilled!" Chuck light-heartedly joked with his trademark megawatt smile in place.

He grabbed a rolled white little towel and handed to Sarah.

"Now, better thinking about it, I guess that coffee isn't such a bad idea," he teased his wife midst a playful mischievous smirk as Sarah dried her face with the towel.

She shot him a dirty look through narrowed eyes and playfully threw the little towel at his face. Chuck laughed as Sarah grabbed a small facial cream midst the sea of products on her side of the counter. It was uncanny the disproportion of items by her side and by his.

Sarah stared at herself in the big bathroom mirror as she opened the cream's lid and placed it on the counter. Chuck came from behind her, gently took the open item from her hand and placed it also on the counter. Then, he slowly turned his wife around to him by the wrist. There was no trace of any sort of smile on his face; he looked very serious and assertive.

Chuck took a step forward, getting rid of the little space that still remained between them. Sarah found herself pinned between her husband and the bathroom counter. Their eyes were locked into an intense stare. Suddenly their surroundings appeared non-existent; there was only him and her sharing that moment. Chuck started to lean forward and Sarah watched his head move closer and closer to hers. The woman thought he would kiss her, so her eyes closed in anticipation and her heart beat faster. However, to her surprise, Chuck's head deviated and she could feel it hovering over her shoulder. Their cheeks were touching. Sarah took a deep breath.

"To me… there's only you," Chuck stated with conviction in a sexy and deeply intimate low tone of voice in his wife's ear as he still got a hold of her wrist.

He pulled his head back after a while and could see that Sarah's eyes were still closed. She got too caught up in the moment. A couple of seconds later she opened them, revealing their overwhelmingly beautiful shade of intense blue. Chuck got lost in their beauty for a while, but he was soon found when he felt Sarah's lips crashing into his.

* * *

**One Year Later**

It was bright and early on that Saturday when Ellie and Awesome pulled their car up in Chuck and Sarah's driveway. Ellie -- who had shoulder-length hairdo -- opened the car's back door and took their almost one-year-old son, Kyle, from the baby car seat as Awesome opened the trunk to unload. The brunette woman headed for her brother's front door carrying the adorable brown-eyed, blond baby – who, frankly, was Awesome's spitting image but had the Bartowskis' warm eyes. Before she could ring the bell Chuck flung the door open. They had been expecting them.

"Hey, sis!" Chuck greeted enthusiastically midst a wide smile.

"And who is that? Who is this little guy here? Come on, come with Uncle Chuck!" the man added in a much festive tone turning all his attention to Kyle as he took the baby from Ellie. The little boy smiled at his uncle's familiar face as he agitated his little legs in enthusiasm.

"Hi, Ellie!" Sarah said with a smile on her face, briefly hugging her sister-in-law as she joined the trio.

"Hey, Sarah!" Ellie replied matching the blonde's smile as she reciprocated the hug.

"Hey there, Kyle! Aren't you the cutest baby in the whole wide world? Yes, you are!" the blue-eyed woman said to the boy with a much bubblier voice as Chuck played with the baby by holding him up in the air.

"Thank you so much for taking him this weekend! I wouldn't want to expose him to an event like that," the brunette stated as she smiled at the sight of Chuck and Sarah playing with the giggly little boy.

"It's no trouble, really," Sarah replied without missing a beat and without taking her eyes off of Kyle.

"Hey, Chuck! Could you give me a little hand here, bro?" Awesome called out from the car.

"Coming… Here, go with Auntie Sarah," Chuck said midst a smile as he handed the baby to Sarah and went to help Awesome unload.

"Come on inside, Ellie. Let the guys do the heavy lifting," Sarah kidded as she smiled down at Kyle, who played fascinated with the blonde's necklace.

"Sorry about your grandma, Awesome. Send my condolences to Woody, and especially to Honey," Chuck honestly said as he reached his brother-in-law by the car's trunk.

"Thanks, Chuck. But, it's not like we weren't expecting it, you know? The fantastic lady lived 92 great years, and that's a lot," Awesome calmly replied as he handed Chuck an argyle aqua blue, brown and white diaper bag.

A while later Awesome and Chuck finished transporting Kyle's stuff to the house. _All_ of his stuff.

"You guys realize that Kyle is only staying for the weekend, and not for the rest of the year, right?" Chuck, who held the baby sitting at the kitchen table with the grownup trio, mockingly enquired in an amused tone as he looked at the stroller, the moses, the bag, the toys and the many more items placed on their foyer.

The couple of parents laughed out loud and Sarah smiled.

"You think this is much? You need to try to walk around our house to see how deep the water really is, my friend. You have no idea of how many things these little munchkins need just to go by," Awesome replied midst a smirk after he took a sip of coffee.

"Yeah… and you don't want to be without 'Booboo', or whatever he wants at the time, when he makes up his mind he wants it. Trust me," Ellie added mimicking her husband's smirk as she held the warm coffee mug between both hands.

"Good to know," Sarah good-naturedly quipped, smiling as she fidgeted with her mug's handle.

"The chat is good and all, but we better get going, babe. The road to Santa Ana awaits us," Awesome stated as he stood up from the table, soon followed by his wife.

Sarah and Chuck stood up as well.

"Bye, baby. I love you soo much… Mommy will be back very soon, ok?" Ellie emotionally said taking Kyle from Chuck and cuddling him to say goodbye. She hated to be away from her little guy.

"Mama!" Kyle gladly uttered one of the few words he could say, which made the moment even harder for his mother, who handed him to Awesome for his turn to say goodbye after planting a sweet kiss on the baby's forehead.

"See you soon, champ! Be good for your aunt and uncle, ok?" Awesome said soberly than his wife as he kissed his son's temple and threw him up in the air, which made Kyle giggle profusely.

"Thank you two. You guys are awesome!" the blond-haired man added in typical Awesome fashion as he handed the baby to Sarah.

After the grown-ups exchanged their goodbyes, Chuck and Sarah walked Ellie and Awesome to their car. When they were waving goodbye to the departing couple's car from the driveway, it hit Kyle that his parents had left. _Without_ him. A little pout started to take over the little boy's lips. So, Chuck and Sarah had to work fast before it evolved to crying.

"He's about to start crying," Sarah stated the obvious looking down at Kyle as she held the baby and started to unconsciously and gently rock him.

"Do something to entertain him. Go on, quick," the blonde rushed Chuck as he leaned down to look at the baby's little pouty face.

"Like what exactly? Cartwheels?" Chuck quipped as he looked up at his wife through amused eyes.

"I know: Ye!" Sarah enthusiastically let out in epiphany as Kyle lost the pout immediately at the mention of the name.

"Yeah, let's go see Ye! What do you say, Kyle? Wanna go find Yeller?" the brown-eyed man mimicked Sarah's tone as he asked the baby.

"Ye!" Kyle said midst the cutest laugh. The little boy was head over heels in love with the dog.

"That's right… Ye!" Chuck reinforced to the baby with a bright smile on his face as he stood up straight once again.

"Nice save," the man said to Sarah with the smile still on while putting his arm around her as they headed inside to find the dog. The blonde smiled rather proudly back.

The couple took Kyle to play with Yeller, who had the best behavior around the little boy. The dog had a natural instinct about what was okay and what was too much for the baby to handle. The munchkin had a blast! After a lot of playing, and a change of diaper – Chuck' doing, he lost on the flip of a coin but Sarah would be up for the turn and so on – the couple decided to take the baby out. The plan was to feed him the baby food Ellie motherly packed, and then go out to have a nice lunch on the small café by the beach, and later take Kyle for a walk on the beach boardwalk. To have some fun and, most importantly, to wear their godson down – this way it would be easier for him to sleep at night without making much fuzz because of his parents, or lack thereof, as expected.

Moments later Chuck and Sarah sat at an outside table at the beach café. Kyle sat on his baby stroller near the couple. The little boy serenely downed a bottle of fresh juice as he gladly watched Yeller sat down nearby, tethered on the café's picket fence by his leash. The view of the ocean from the place was beautiful. Not as close as Chuck and Sarah's, but beautiful nonetheless.

"…paper towel and butter. I think that's all. Remember anything else?" Sarah said with her sunglasses up on her head and with a wandering eye at the baby.

"Cereal, too. We can go to the grocery store later," Chuck replied, to which Sarah nodded.

The waitress came with their Cobb salads and put the plates on the table. A smiling Chuck focused his attention on Kyle and gave the baby a belly rub, which amused the little boy so.

"What a beautiful family! Your son is so cute," the woman noted with a wide smile on her face.

"We're not..." Chuck began to say as he shook his head 'no'.

"Oh, he's not…" Sarah said at the same time as her husband, also shaking her head.

They stopped on their tracks together and looked at each other.

"Actually he is our nephew… and godson. Not our, uh… not our son," the brown-eyed man clumsily corrected, feeling a bit shaken by the weight and the unexpected meaning that the words 'our son' had to him.

Sarah was similarly hit by Chuck's words. Their eyes locked ever so briefly but intensely so.

"Oh, ok… Well, you're still a beautiful family. Enjoy your lunch, guys!" the waitress friendly said midst the same wide smile.

"Thanks," the couple said in unison with a polite smile on their faces as the woman took off.

They continued with their lunch normally. They ate, drank, talked to and entertained Kyle constantly. However, on the back of their minds, the waitress's comment made both think of a kid of their own. They never had discussed the issue before, and it remained like that throughout lunch.

Sarah, Chuck, Kyle and Yeller arrived home a little before the evening took over afternoon's place. After a day of cruising the beach boardwalk with all its entertainments – the baby even had the chance to practice his recent learned walk -- and a pit-stop by the grocery store, the little boy was quite tired. He even dozed off a bit in his car seat on their drive back home.

As planned, Chuck – after dropping the grocery's bags on the kitchen island -- went ahead to give the baby a bath while Sarah would prepare his bottle. Ellie stressed the fact that, if they wanted to succeed at this, they had to maintain Kyle's bedtime routine. So, Chuck bathed Kyle, diapered him and put on the most adorable pair of pjs.

The man sat in their bed with the almost asleep baby laid on his arms when Sarah arrived with the bottle in hand. Before Chuck could notice her, she stopped by their room's door's threshold as she analyzed the scene in front of her. She looked in awe at her husband staring down at Kyle with a silly grin on his face as he held the little guy's hand in his much larger one. So sweet… Sarah shook the thought and entered the room, handing the bottle to Chuck and taking a seat beside him on the bed.

"It took you a while," Chuck almost whispered without taking his eyes of the baby as he put the bottle on Kyle's little mouth.

"I had to make sure I was doing it right," Sarah replied in the same tone as she also stared at the little bundle of joy.

Chuck looked at her and smiled sweetly.

"Take him. I have to change my shirt; the little fella practically gave me a bath as well," Chuck said widening his smile as he carefully handed his wife Kyle, and the bottle attached to his hungry little mouth.

Sarah felt his little body's warm, and the amazing scent of clean baby reached her nose. She couldn't help but display the same silly smile that graced her husband's features moments ago.

It was Chuck's turn to scrutinize the scene of his wife holding the small infant from the closet's door. Even from the back she looked very… peaceful. And more beautiful than ever.

Chuck resumed his walk towards them and sat by Sarah's side. He continued to silently stare at them. Sarah felt his silence and his eyes on her.

"What?" the blonde softly and curiously whispered as she sneaked a peek at Chuck beside her.

"Nothing," he reflexively replied also in low, whispery tone.

Silence fell upon them for a while more as they interestedly watched the baby like a television show.

"Wouldn't it be nice… to have one of those of our own?" Chuck asked softer than before as he searched for his wife's blue eyes.

Sarah knew the issue was bound to be brought up, especially after the waitress, but she still felt surprised. The blonde looked briefly at her husband and back to the baby.

"I… I don't know," Sarah mustered the voice to say, mimicking Chuck's tone as she looked down at Kyle 'cause she was unable to look at Chuck.

However, her result didn't last long. So, she looked at him and he had a somewhat hurt and slightly disappointed look on his face.

"I know you would make an excellent father. But I, uh, I don't think I'd be such a good mother," she added exposing herself as she directed her eyes back at the little guy. It had been a long road, but they were at a point in their relationship that Sarah would rather expose herself than hurt Chuck.

Chuck felt better instantly.

"Hey, look at me!" her husband commanded still in a low tone of voice.

Sarah obliged after a few seconds.

"I'm sure you'll make an amazing mother. Come on, look at you with him," he added softly but firmly as he held the blonde's stare.

The woman didn't say anything. She just smiled at him, which prompted him to mimic it.

"He finished his bottle. And is fully asleep," Sarah stated as she took the empty bottle from the baby's mouth and handed it to Chuck, who placed it on the bed beside him.

"Let's put him in the moses," Chuck replied as he stood up, followed by Sarah holding the baby close to her.

They walked together to the moses that had been put beside their bed, and Sarah put Kyle down. Chuck carefully snuggled the baby with his powder blue baby blanket and the couple stood there, side by side, watching the little guy sleep peacefully.

"One of those would be nice," Sarah said after a while midst a sweet smile as she stared down at Kyle.

Then, she looked to her side at Chuck, who looked back at her with a sparkle in his eyes and a foolish smile on his lips. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and Sarah dropped her head on his before they resumed watching the sleeping baby.

* * *

**Thirteen Months Later**

Chuck arrived home to find Sarah sitting on their living room couch with both feet up and stretched. The blonde had a light throw covering her and the laptop open on her lap.

"It took you long," Sarah noted as she watched from the couch Chuck climbing down the few stairs from the foyer to the main level of their house.

"Yeah, the guys showed up a little later than expected," Chuck replied as he quickly kissed her cheek from the back of the couch and headed for the kitchen.

"And how was the mission?" his wife curiously enquired turning her head back to see him.

"Fine; Taylor and Casey apprehended Thompson," the man called out from the kitchen as he searched for something he felt like eating in the fridge.

"Oh, you're already on a first name basis with her?" Sarah asked with a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"Please," Chuck started to say as he picked up an apple and closed the fridge.

"I'm even on a first name basis with the guy from the deli on the corner: Chris," he continued midst a smile as he made his way towards the living room.

"Well, I don't like Beauvoir much," the blue-eyed woman irrationally stated midst a not-so-pleased look.

"You know that she'll never replace you, right? Plus, she's happily married," Chuck tried to reason with his wife midst a charming smile as he took a big bite out of the red apple.

"She's married alright, but how do you know she's _happily_ married?" Sarah asked not buying his charm.

"I guess it takes one to know the other," the brown-eyed man replied upping the charm, which granted him a smile from Sarah.

"I just don't know why I can't go and stay in the car," the woman complained as Chuck sat on the coffee table across from her.

"Maybe, just maybe, because it didn't work quite well last time. You know, with you leaving the car and winding up in the hotel's kitchen clocking one of the thugs," Chuck patiently said with a tight-lipped smile as he put the half-eaten apple down and held one of her hands.

Sarah knew he had a point. Not that she liked it, 'though.

"Now, can I see it, please?" he eagerly added in question with the most foolish grin on his face.

The blonde couldn't help but smile at her husband's eagerness and silly smile. She handed Chuck the laptop and he placed the item beside him on the coffee table, then she removed the throw that covered her to reveal a perfectly round 8-month belly bump.

Sarah carried on with her CIA duty to guard the Intersect, a.k.a. her husband, until it was no longer possible due to how far long she was into her pregnancy. It was then that the Agency sent a temporary substitute: Agent Taylor Beauvoir. An American, blue-eyed brunette in her late twenties. Her father was French and her mother American. A Marion Cotillard type. Graduated from the CIA Academy with top honors. Was a part of several top-secret assignments for the Agency and excelled in all of them. Married to David Ford, a civilian who had absolutely no idea of his wife's double life. Information that Chuck obtained when he flashed on her charm gun on the brunette's first day on the new job. Except for the Marion Cotillard bit, of course. Chuck didn't know her that well, but he knew she was the tough but fair type. She also was given a cover job at Dash.

Chuck sat on the edge of the couch near to Sarah, leaned over to her belly's level and touched it with both hands.

"Hey in there, little… Edward?" Chuck enthusiastically greeted and sort of asked as he looked up at his wife for approval.

Sarah shook her head 'no' midst a tight-lipped smile.

"Amy?" he continued, to which the blonde continued to shake her head in the same fashion.

"Finn? Jacob? Megan? Stella?" Chuck bombarded as Sarah put her hand on his hair.

"I guess we'll decide when we get a good look at you. How are you doing? Had a nice day swimming in there? I know… daddy talks too much! Mommy says the same thing," he mused midst a laugh talking to the belly.

"You bet," Sarah light-heartedly joked as she tenderly ran her fingers through his hair.

"Let me just go and grab the video camera," Chuck enthusiastically stated as he quickly stood up.

"No! I look awful today," Sarah whined as she momentarily closed her eyes.

"Nonsense! You look as gorgeous as ever. Plus, you know the drill of the 'Baby Documentary' by C. Bartowski, honey. We must shoot every day, even if just for a few minutes," the man replied as he rushed to the office to grab the camera.

"Not fair, you'd say I look great even in a potato sack… Please, I'm in flannel pajamas," the woman retorted as she looked to her side at Chuck searching for the item in the office.

"True, I'd think you look great in anything. But who cares whether you are in pajamas or not? Even so, those are your cute crossword pjs. Trust me, you look great," Chuck honestly said as he came back with the camera.

"Day 249," Chuck announced midst a smile as he pointed the small video camera at him.

"Look, there it is the mommy-to-be…" he added enthusiastically as he pointed the camera at Sarah.

"Looking kinda crossed because she isn't so keen on being shot in her pajamas. Aww… come on, honey, smile to posteriori," Chuck said midst a smile, to which Sarah responded by putting on a playful, over-fake grin.

"Now, that's more likely," Chuck stated through a laugh as he pointed the camera at him briefly.

Deep down Sarah appreciated the whole shenanigan.

"Now, take a look at how big…eautiful… How _beautiful_, that's what I said… Look at how _beautiful_ that belly is," the man immediately corrected seeing the look on his wife's face as he zoomed on Sarah's belly bump.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Sarah said midst a playful mischievous smile and an arched eyebrow.

Chuck continued with the recording for a while longer, and later the couple went to bed for the night. Both leaned their backs against their bed's headboard. Chuck read a book wearing reading glasses – the result combination of many hours, multiplied by years, spent in front of tv and computer screens – and Sarah applied moisturizer on her hands.

"Oh, the lady from the store left a message, the crib will be delivered tomorrow," Chuck said as he stopped reading his book for a while and looked to his side at Sarah.

"Ok," she replied without turning to him as she rubbed her lathered hands together.

"That was the last item. We have everything… now we just need to know if our baby will be a she or a he to paint the nursery and we'll be done. Gosh, I can't believe there's only a month left. It went by so fast…" he softly mused with his eyes still on her and the open book loose on his lap.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sarah replied midst a sweet smile, looking to her side at him as she finished moisturizing her hands and placed them on her belly.

"Are you scared, I mean, about the labor and all?" Chuck softly asked in interest.

"Not about the labor, I guess," Sarah frankly replied as she wondered about the subject.

"I'm more apprehensive as to whether the baby will be ok and, you know, healthy and all. And also if I can do this, I don't know, right. For his or hers sakes," Sarah added in the same tone as she leaned her head back on the headboard as well.

"I'm sure there's _no one_ more capable of pulling _anything_ off than you," Chuck confidently replied as he scooted over closer to his wife and tenderly kissed her lips.

After he pulled back, Chuck saw a peculiar look on Sarah's eyes.

"What?" he curiously enquired through an amused tone.

"I love that," Sarah seriously said, which granted her a proud smirk from her husband.

"Not that! Well, that too… But that's not what I meant," she chastised him midst a smile. "I love to see myself through your eyes. Always have, but every day I love more and more. You see this amazing person, so brave, gentle, graceful… that just makes me go for it. I don't know how to explain it; you just make me want to be better. I guess I'm a better person because of you," Sarah seriously poured her soul through, possibly, raging hormones.

Chuck was touched.

"That's because you are," he softly replied before he started to kiss her again.

The kiss evolved to a nice make-out session, but Sarah interrupted it.

"Your kid thinks my bladder is a squeeze toy. I have to pee. Hold that thought," Sarah joked with a devious look on her eyes as she got up from bed to go to their bathroom.

Chuck retrieved the book that got lost between the comforter during their making-out. He knew by now that pregnant women took forever to pee, so he started to read again.

A while later Sarah got out from the bathroom to find an adorable scene in front of her. Chuck had fallen asleep sitting down, with his glasses on, and with the book flung open onto his lap. The blonde tip-toed to her head, with a smile on her face she gently removed the pair of glasses not to wake him and pressed a light kiss on his cheek. Then she removed the book from his lap, put it on his nightstand and pulled the comforter closer to him, snuggling her husband nicely. After that Sarah got under the covers and went to sleep peacefully with her head against his shoulder.

* * *

**4 Months Later**

Chuck entered home fast, threw his keys in the foyer's sideboard bowl and rushed to the staircase. He practically jogged up the stairs. The man couldn't wait to see them. Chuck was going to the nursery, but when he passed by his bedroom's door he saw that the subjects who were responsible for his rush were in there. So, he entered the room with a wide smile on his face.

"Hey, how are you two?" Chuck asked softly and in low tone as he approached their bed, where Sarah – lying with her head propped up on her right hand – lovingly watched their 3 month-old daughter, Olivia, who lay beside her.

The little baby girl was adorably pretty. She had Chuck's abundant dark-brown soft hair and Sarah's big deep blue eyes.

"Great, she finished her whole bottle a few minutes ago," the blonde replied midst a smile as she watched her husband lie in bed beside Olivia, with his head propped up just like Sarah.

"Did you, sweetie? Did you finish the _whole_ bottle? You are such a good girl!" Chuck gushed over the baby, looking at her straight in the eyes as he took her tiny hand in his.

After a few seconds Olivia looked back at him in the eye. She recognized her daddy's face and voice, so the baby flashed him a smile and gurgled enthusiastically. Sarah, who caressed her daughter's hair, loved to watch them together.

"Yes Liv, it's daddy!" Chuck proudly stated as he planted a kiss on her rosy cheek and straightened her vivid orange and cream striped long sleeved cotton playsuit, which was stylishly paired with the cutest pink hi-top chucks. Like father, like daughter.

"Is Casey coming?" Sarah asked looking at Chuck and with her index finger trapped in Olivia's tight grip.

"Yeah, he must be here soon. He left right after me," Chuck seriously replied looking back at his wife.

"What is this about? Did he brief you?" the blue-eyed woman enquired.

"No, Casey said he would brief us both on the way to some country club," he replied with his hand on top of Olivia's belly.

The doorbell rang.

"It must be Casey," Sarah stated adjusting the position of her head on her hand.

"Actually, it must be Nina. I called her from Dash," Chuck said as he got up from bed to answer the door.

Nina was their trusty, mid-twenties nanny. Recommended by Ellie and Awesome's nanny, Carol. Sarah was still in maternity leave from the clothing department store, but her _other _job didn't grant such perks. Taylor had left weeks after Sarah gave birth to Olivia. The blonde woman lost the pregnancy pounds and got back to work in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, speaking of country club… Josiah, from the marina, called. Something to do with your boat," Sarah said to a departing Chuck.

"What about Solo's Leia?" the man curiously asked after turning around by the bedroom's door.

Chuck had bought a neat 25 feet long little boat right after Liv was born. The beauty had a shiny navy blue hull, with red oak trims and pristine white deck and sails. Her name, 'Solo's Leia', was painted in metallic silver classy letters on the transom. Chuck bought the boat with the intention of teaching his daughter to sail when she got a bit bigger. The only detail left is that _he_ was yet to learn.

"He didn't say. He just asked for you to call or drop by," she replied smiling down at Olivia, to which Chuck nodded and resumed his journey to the front door.

Chuck made it to the door and calmly opened it. It really was Nina.

"Hey, Nina! How are you?" Chuck politely greeted the redheaded nanny with a smile on his face.

"Good, Chuck. You?" the brown-eyed woman asked returning the pleasantry and also wearing a smile.

Chuck spotted Casey's Crown Victoria pulling up on their driveway.

"I'm good, too. Come on in, the girls are upstairs. Could you, please, tell Sarah that Casey is here already?" the tall man asked as he stepped away for Nina to get in. She nodded 'yes' and went in.

Casey stuck his head outside the car's window and tapped his watch for Chuck to see. The latter signaled Casey with a thumb up and got back inside.

Before Nina could go upstairs, Sarah was already heading down holding Liv in a straight position. Nina met them by the staircase's bottom and started to coo over the baby girl. Chuck went to the trio of women.

"Casey's here," he said to Sarah before reaching them.

"I'm ready to go. Just have to say goodbye to this little girl," she replied looking at her husband.

The worst part about going to work was to leave her daughter. Sarah loved her job, but it didn't even _begin_ to compare to what she felt about Olivia. She never thought possible to love anyone or anything this much. The love ran so deep that sometimes it even scared her.

"Bye, baby. You have no idea how much mommy loves you, sweetie," Sarah softly said looking into Liv's blue eyes that freakishly matched hers. The baby girl excitedly moved her little legs for mom, and you could see a smile behind her translucent pacifier before Sarah placed a light kiss on her head.

Sarah handed Olivia to Chuck, who was in the middle of saying goodbye when Casey walked in.

"If you two could come today it'd be good," Casey sarcastically called out from the foyer as he watched the family scene in front of him.

Casey wasn't into babies. That was fact. All the crying, the wanting, the needing, the diapers… weren't his thing at all! However, for the very few times he was left alone with his _co-workers_' baby girl for a minute or so, he couldn't help but feel some sort of effect under her stare. She had these bluntly honest eyes, that seemed to peer right into his soul and, remarkably, they showed no sign of judgment whatsoever. Simply pure and innocent… Casey wasn't accustomed to that. He would never admit this, but it was the truth. Plus, Olivia seemed to sense that she was dealing with a tough cookie. It was like she knew she had to win him over somehow. 'Cause, when with the NSA agent, she was all charm. In fact, it even seemed like the little baby girl _liked_ Casey. Apparently, at such a young age, the baby was already displaying her mom's taste for challenges.

Chuck kissed his daughter's cheek and handed her over to Nina, who took the baby upstairs.

"My lunch hour won't last forever," Casey complained as the trio walked to the Crown Victoria. The NSA agent wore normal clothes. Thank goodness a while back they moved him from the perfume-sprayer position to one at sales on the men cosmetics section. Coincidentally – or not – his hair never looked better.

"Nice to see you, too, Casey," Sarah ironically stated as she entered the car.

Casey shot her a dirty look, and the three of them went to yet another mission.

Three hours or so later, Casey dropped the couple off at their house. Their mission's goal was once again reached. Thankfully, the NSA agent had some sick days to burn through; otherwise he would surely get fired for bailing on the store like he did.

Chuck and Sarah entered their house. They could hear the sound of the ocean outside. A sound that, for a long time now, made them instantly feel like home. It was a no-brainer to where the couple headed first: Olivia's nursery.

They entered her room. It got a very good natural light, and it felt warm and cozy. The main wall, where the white crib was put against, was painted in rather thick lilac and white horizontal stripes. The other three walls were plain lilac. The couple paid extreme attention to make her room as nice and neat as possible. There were framed pictures of colorful cartoon animals on the wall, a big fluffy white rug covering a portion of the hardwood floor to make the room cozier, a white changer station with Liv's baby products, a white shelf filled with children's books and delicate stuffed animals – even Miss Piggy was among them – and 'Olivia' was spelled in white wooden letters against one of the lilac walls.

Nina sat on the comfy and generously stuffed white chair glider as she read a book, and Liv lay in her crib entertained by her musical baby mobile.

"Hi, Nina," Sarah softly said as the couple approached the crib.

"Hey, you guys," Nina replied as she closed the book and stood up.

"She took a little nap an hour ago, but she is wide awake now," the redheaded informed as she joined them by the crib.

"Well, thanks for coming, Nina, but we got it now. You can go home," Chuck said taking his eyes off of Olivia to look at the nanny.

"Ok, you two have a nice day. Bye, Liv! See you soon, pumpkin," Nina said reaching into the crib and rubbing the baby's rosy cheek.

The couple bid goodbye to Nina and started to gush over their little baby girl as they hovered above her crib.

"I'll just slip into something more comfortable, ok?" Sarah softly announced looking to her side at Chuck.

"Alright, we'll be on the back," Chuck replied as he carefully took Olivia from the crib.

Sarah went to their bedroom and Chuck headed downstairs carrying the baby. When he reached the sliding glass door, Chuck opened it and was met by the amazing ocean view. Yeller came rushing to join them outside. The dog loved Liv, and Liv loved the dog. There's definitely something about kids and dogs.

Chuck grabbed Yeller's ball on the edge of the white deck's railing, and threw it far on the sand. The dog frantically went after it. Then, Chuck took a seat on the first step of the short staircase that led to the beach.

"It's a beautiful day isn't, sweetie?" Chuck lovingly asked turning the baby to him.

"Yes, it is," himself replied as he kissed Olivia's forehead.

Since the baby was born, Chuck constantly wondered about this job he and his wife had within the government. More than he did before, and that's a lot. He worried about Sarah's safety, about his own safety, and worst: he worried about their daughter's safety. On the other hand, the man had already accepted the fact that this was his life, and he even learned to look at it from the positive side. If it was not the Intersect he would have never met his wife, and Olivia never would have been born. Besides, he felt good about knowing that he was making this world a bit safer for his little girl.

Yeller rushed up the stairs with the ball in his mouth and dropped it by Chuck's feet. Liv made a fuzz at the sight of the dog. The man patiently picked up the ball and threw it again, further this time. Yeller bolted after it.

"Yeah, that's Yeller, honey. Now, do you want to hear a song, Liv? Listen, no matter what mommy says, daddy _is_ a great singer, ok?" Chuck softly said as he held the baby's little hand.

The little baby girl smiled at her daddy.

"I'll take that as a yes," he stated midst a wide smile before he comically cleared his throat.

"_There are angels in your angles_

_There's a low moon caught in your tangles_

_There's a ticking at the sill_

_There's a purr of a pigeon to break the still of day_," Chuck huskily sang as he slowly rocked Olivia from side to side.

"Oh, my poor baby… Having to hear daddy's singing," Sarah good-naturedly joked midst a smile as she sat beside her husband on the step.

"Well, for your information, she happens to love it. Don't you, sweetie?" Chuck asked looking in the baby's bright blue eyes as Sarah linked her arm with his and smiled at Olivia.

"It's so nice out here," Sarah stated as she looked at the big ocean in front of them.

"Yes, it is," Chuck morosely replied as he did the same.

A moment of serene silence fell upon them.

"Aren't you going to sing us some more?" Sarah softly asked as she placed a protective hand on Liv's belly.

"See, I knew you liked it," Chuck replied with a sweet smile on his face as he looked in his wife's blue eyes. The same shade as his daughter's.

Chuck comically cleared his throat again. He was a creature of habits, after all.

"_There's a tough word on your crossword_

_There's a bed bug nipping a finger_

_There's a swallow, there's a calm_

_Here's a hand to lay on your open palm today_…" he sang in the same previous tone, while Sarah dropped her head on his shoulder and both attentively watched their daughter as she slowly fell asleep.

Their life wasn't a typical one, that's for sure. But they were happy and, in the end, that's all that truly matters.

**THE END.**

**A/N:** That's all there is, lovelies! Enjoyed? Anyway, it's been real… I wish you all a belated Merry Xmas and a wonderful New Year!

Now, good night and good luck! :)


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